


Severus Snape and the Lost Prophecy

by HalfBloodLittleLamb



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Canon divergence due to members added to the Malfoy family, F/F, F/M, Mentor Severus Snape, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Novel length work, Severus Snape Has a Heart, Severus Snape-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:20:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28600578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HalfBloodLittleLamb/pseuds/HalfBloodLittleLamb
Summary: Harry Potter was not the only child to have its childhood turned upside down due to Trewlaney's prophecy. When the other child, Valerie Malfoy, is catapulted into the Britain wizarding world due to her mother's misterious murder secrets long buried are unreveled; the Second Wizarding War is nothing but the extension of the first one, after all.Severus Snape-centric story, half-blood prince and onwards: come for the pebble I'm throwing into the lake, stay for the ripples.
Kudos: 6





	1. Valerie Malfoy

**Author's Note:**

> I started this story 11 (!!!) years ago. Originally it was something almost completely different, as was I. This plot bunny has been bugging me for over a decade and I can only hope I'm doing it justice. Updated weekly (I already have thirteen chapters and over 30k words written). Buckle up!

Arthur Weasley was extremely passionate about his work. As long as he could remember, he had always been fascinated by Muggle culture and its artifacts, so it was only natural that his career after school went in that direction. Even on the most tedious days, like today, he still found pleasure in his occupation.

On his desk he kept a photograph of his family on a trip to Egypt. He thanked the heavens mentally every day for Molly's existence in his life. He had always been in love with her and every day for the past twenty years she had proven herself to be a woman of great value, being always by his side during the most difficult times. He gave his children as much love as he could, even to Percy who had so deliberately withdrawn from the family in the past two years.

A knock on the door took him by surprise. The person did not wait for an answer and just opened the door a tad, putting his head through the crack: it was Albus Dumbledore.

“Excuse me, Arthur, but we have urgent matters to deal with. Can you come with me?”

He didn't think twice before getting up and following Dumbledore through the corridors of the Ministry wherever he was taking him. It was time for him to go out for his lunch break anyway, but Dumbledore's feet seemed to be in a hurry.

"What...?" Arthur was going to ask a question, but he was interrupted.

"Not in here." Dumbledore said quietly looking around trying to make sure that no one was following them or had heard them.

After some good minutes of walking, they finally reached the streets of London and Dumbledore did not wait to inform Arthur Weasley what had happened. "Lucius Malfoy has escaped from Azkaban, it will be the cover of tomorrow's Daily Prophet."

Arthur had no time to react more than to widen his eyes when the old wizard continued:

“Cecilia Malfoy showed up dead and it is just too much of a coincidence. The Magical Congress does not want to deal with this problem and they are simply handing us the girl.”

"Merlin’s beard!" he exclaimed.

“Although it stands to reason that she goes into the custody of the Malfoy family I think it is too risky and as executor of Cecilia's will I need you to receive her at your home. The Burrow already has all the possible protections because of Harry and by the beginning of the school year I hope to be able to convince the Ministry to accept the girl attending the school. For her own protection, of course.”

Arthur seemed to be trying hard to assimilate all the information, but he nodded while Dumbledore spoke.

“We need to fetch her, however. Apparently, she is in shock and does not accept to be transported by magic means. So, it is important that you go with me; with your experience with muggle objects and as a member of the Order I’m sure you’ll be able to safely transport her home.”

"Sure thing, Dumbledore." Arthur said simply. "Are we leaving now?"

"Not before we change our clothes." And with a wave of his wand, he transfigured their clothes into muggle suits. Dumbledore then extended his arm to Arthur, who took it and immediately felt a characteristic pull on his navel. Within seconds they were in a dark alley from which they headed for a well-lit street filled with tall buildings.

Despite his almost infinite fascination with muggle culture, Arthur controlled himself enough when he entered the hotel reception where the receptionist, clearly confunded, gave Dumbledore a key and instructions on how to get to a specific room. Upon entering the room, he understood why the receptionist needed to be confunded: Arthur and Albus joined two officers who were already in the room with a girl sitting on the bed as pale as a sheet of paper. Her fragile figure reminded him of Ginny and the image of a young girl in a hotel room with four adult men was something that would not go unnoticed at the reception.

"Ms. Malfoy.” Dumbledore held out his hand to her. “I'm sorry we have to meet under such terrible circumstances. My name is Albus Dumbledore and this is Arthur Weasley.”

"My condolences for your loss." Arthur said holding out his hand to her.

"Agent Anderson." The taller man said, nodding in greeting to Dumbledore. "We have just received the results from the expertise." He said pointing to the shorter wizard who held a scroll that radiated white light.

“We spoke through the floo network earlier, I’m Agent Carter.” He also extended his hand to Dumbledore. “It was confirmed that Ms. Cecilia Malfoy was, in fact, murdered by a Killing Curse,” he said reading the shiny parchment “and that the only sign left behind is notoriously known as the signature of the criminal you refer to as Lord Voldemort.”

"I believe that this information should not be discussed here." Arthur interrupted Agent Carter before he continued. No one seemed to notice the young girl who was looking at the floor of the room as if she were trying to read something written on fibre of the carpet.

"Sure." Dumbledore said pointing to the door of an antechamber "Gentlemen..."

Arthur knew more or less what to do, he had heard about extraction missions before, although he had never actively participated in one. "Ms. Malfoy,” he approached the girl, “is there anyone you think is important to know about your departure? Someone who will notice your absence?”

"Of course there is!" she cried out, her eyes filled with tears and Arthur regretted his choice of words.

“Forgive me, Ms. Malfoy, I didn't mean to imply anything other than the fact that we need to urgently get out of here, for your safety. And we obviously don't want anyone following us or calling the muggle police because of your eventual disappearance. Is there anyone in particular that you can let know that you are leaving the city, without creating major concerns?”

"My stepfather." She replied in a weak voice. "Mom and him haven't been together in a while, but we still keep in touch."

“Okay, can you communicate with him then? Perhaps through the felytony? “

It took Valerie a few seconds to understand what he meant, and Arthur realized that she only understood what he meant because his gaze lingered on the device over the nightstand. She picked up the phone and dialled the number she knew by heart. Within a few seconds she was answered.

“Hey, Matt! It's Val.” She tried to hide the sadness from her voice. "Yes, everything is fine with me... with us." She amended it quickly. "I called to tell you that we're traveling, kind of in a hurry." She wrapped her finger around the cord of the device. "You know my uncle in England, he suddenly fell ill... We’ll go over there and help take care of him." Pause. "No return date... Sorry for the short notice, but we'll be gone in a few hours." She took a deep breath when tears welled up in her eyes, but kept her voice steady. “It's better this way, you don't have to worry about coming here. I just thought you deserved to know.” Pause. “No... You know how old-fashioned they are. But as soon as possible I can find a public phone and call you, or even send you a letter.” Pause. “Thank you very much, Matt. For everything." She finished by returning the device to its initial position.

Arthur felt sorry for the girl, for everything she was going through and everything she was going to go through, but he couldn't help noticing how fast she made this story up. Dumbledore entered the room again, this time alone, taking Arthur out of his reverie.

"Ms. Malfoy, I was arranging the last details of your transfer with the MACUSA. They are aware of your uncle's escape and have handed over the investigation to the British Ministry. You will be staying with Mr. Arthur Weasley's family and I urge you to exercise extreme caution with any attempt of contact from your mother's family. “

She nodded.

"As for the formalities... How would you like to deal with the body?"

Valerie burst into tears and Dumbledore handed her a handkerchief. "I don't know... Do I have to... See it?" She stammered, patting her eyes dry.

"Of course not, if that is what you wish." He reassured her. “The house will be put up for sale and the money will be deposited in an account in the Gringotts bank. I will defend your case before the Ministry so that you can attend the school of which I am the headmaster and even so that you can acquire a wand!” He said with enthusiasm in his voice.

But of course, there was no enthusiasm on Valerie's face. Her life had been turned upside down in a matter of hours and Arthur could clearly see in her features that she didn't give a damn about possessing a wand. Dumbledore had kneeled to level up with Valerie who was still sitting on the bed, so he got up to speak directly to Arthur.

“This is a type of muggle document that will help you get through the airport; I trust that Valerie can help you with any difficulties you have with the procedure. It is false, it will disappear in a week or two.” He said handing Arthur a passport.

"Ms. Malfoy, once again I want to express my unhappiness about the circumstances in which we meet for the first time.” Dumbledore addressed the girl. “Mr. Weasley here will take you back to your home so that you can retrieve any personal objects that you may want to take with you. MACUSA agents are still surveilling the house, but after that you will be entirely under our care. I assure you that I will do everything in our power so that you are not hurt.” 


	2. The Burrow

Valerie was still in shock at everything that was happening. Her entire world was changing by the minute and sometimes she found herself thinking what would have happened differently if she had been at home instead of attending the end of term prom at school. She could be dead by now.

They seemed to have chosen the right person to pick her up, however. Arthur Weasley distracted her at all times with the most unusual comments about everything ordinary they were doing. From the taxi cab they took to the airport, to the check-in at the airline’s counter (“And they keep all the information about all the planes in this machine?” He asked pointing at the computer’s screen)... she even considered he was pretending. It was not possible that one could be so ignorant about such simple things.

But when the flight attendant announced over the speakers that the plane doors were closed and the crew was getting ready for takeoff, she became convinced that his concerns were real. Arthur Weasley looked positively green, babbling disconnected words under his breath and holding tightly the arms of the chair in which he sat.

"Mr Weasley?" She called him.

"Yes?" He replied without opening his eyes.

"It's all right." She tried to reassure him.

"Yes, yes ..." He shook his head.

His behavior was starting to catch the attention of the people sitting around them and it could catch the attention of flight attendants too. She felt that it would not be good for them. He was, after all, traveling on a fake passport and she didn't know how good the magic they had used was.

“How are we going to be floating in the air all this time? And if... I don't know... How does it work, do you know?”

"Look, if you feel the need to... Well... throw up, this is for you." She said removing the bag from the compartment in front of his seat. “It is completely normal to be nervous in these situations. Especially since you have never traveled by plane before.”

He nodded, opening his eyes and grabbing the bag urgently.

"Most people don't know exactly how an airplane works, I don't know exactly!" She continued to try to calm him down. “I can try to explain it to you later, but for now I think the most important thing is that you try to stay calm. Takeoff is the worst part, but after that we can unfasten our belts, walk through the aisles and use the restroom if you want.”

Valerie thought that would help him calm down, but the prospect of walking on a plane hovering in the air seemed to scare him even more. The aircraft took off at an accelerated speed and she watched Mr. Weasley close his eyes again and hold himself tightly to the arms of the chair.

Once the seat belt warning was turned off she tried to speak to him again. "Are you afraid of heights?"

He nodded. A flight attendant arrived with a cup of water for him.

"Thank you, I'll take care of him." she said to the flight attendant. "Have you ever thought how tall a building is while walking through its corridors?"

He opened his eyes and turned to her, but did not answer.

“It's the same with the plane. Here you have a solid surface to walk on and if you don't get stressed thinking about it you can even forget that we are so high.” she said turning off the on-board entertainment screen that showed flight statistics, including the height of the aircraft.

"At least the building is known to be grounded." He said smiling weakly and accepting the glass of water she offered him. "I apologize for my behavior, you've been through enough."

“I'm sorry. It was my request that we travel by plane and not by means ... You know ...” she said raising her eyebrows to avoid using the M word. He drank the whole glass of water in one gulp. His hands were still shaking.

"Tell me about your family." she was anxious to finally visit a wizarding house, but she thought it would be rude to ask about the building itself without first showing an interest in the people who lived in it.

"Ah yes." He said taking the wallet out of his jacket pocket and unwinding a ribbon with several photographs.

Valerie gasped in anxiety. It was not the first time that she had seen wizarding photographs, but the possibility of someone around them seeing it was huge since they were squeezed because of the small space of the aircraft. Arthur seemed to understand her scare.

"Don't worry, they can't see it moving." He reassured her. “I have seven children. This is Charlie, he lives in Romania and works with animals. Then we had Bill who works for Gringotts, I'll take you there to open an individual account for you. This is Percy and he works at the Ministry.”

"How cool, he works with you!" Valerie exclaimed excitedly.

"Aaah... Not necessarily... Different departments. These are Fred and George, the twins. They have a joke shop in Diagon Alley.

"Wow! How old are they?" She asked impressed at how young they looked.

"Not old enough." He replied smiling. “They dropped out of school before their senior year to start this business and... They are doing well. It may not be the best time to set up a store, but I am happy to see them happy. Don't mention any of that to Molly, though. Molly is my wife,” he said pointing to her photograph, “she is constantly worried about the twins because they haven't finished school. It should take some time for her to get used to the idea.”

"Do they all live with you?" She asked trying not to sound too curious.

"Oh no! The two youngest are the only ones who still live with us.” He said pointing to a photo of them hugging each other. "Ron and Ginny are still at school... Ginny is your age, you’re probably gonna share classes at Hogwarts. After all these years, the house seems too big without the usual amount of people.” He finished smiling.

The trip went smoothly after that. Arthur seemed to have relaxed enough and did not need the plastic bag more than once (after a slight turbulence). Valerie still had enough fun explaining to him that airplanes did not have engines but turbines (and explaining the difference between these two), and that it was totally possible that Muggles could provide a full course hot meal on an airplane with no aid of magic.

On the way from central London to his home, however, Arthur seemed to have remembered the circumstances that brought Valerie to the country. He just answered her questions with "yes" or "no" and kept looking around them constantly.

Valerie didn't know what to expect from a wizarding house; she was more concerned with knowing what the interior and household items were like than with the aesthetics of the structure itself, but when she saw The Burrow for the first time, she couldn't help but smile. The house was very funny looking and there was no other explanation than magic for the fact that it was still standing.

She had to hurry to catch up with Mr. Weasley, who was urgently walking ahead of her. When she reached the door she heard him talking to someone inside, with the door still closed.

"What is the biggest ambition of your life?" The female voice asked.

"Find out how airplanes sustain themselves in the air." He answered simply. “However, Valerie here shared some knowledge on the machinery and I am getting closer and closer to getting a final answer. We may have to change my security question.” He said placing a quick peck on the lips of the woman who opened the door.

"Hi." Valerie greeted sheepishly.

"Oh, my dear. Come in, come in...” Molly put an arm around her shoulders and led her into the house.

"What a nice smell! Onion soup?" Mr. Weasley asked, throwing himself on a chair at the table.

“Yes, yes... The children are already getting ready for bed. But I saved some for you.” Mrs. Weasley said, placing two generously filled bowls in front of them at the table.

Valerie hadn't realized how hungry she was until she put the first spoonful in her mouth. She forgot all the good manners her mother had taught her and ate everything as wildly as possible. She only stopped when she finished eating and Mrs. Weasley offeredher, with a pitying look, another bowl of soup. She accepted hesitantly, but at least this time she ate more slowly.

Now that she was fed, she felt more comfortable looking around the house and searching for small signs of magic. A clock of sorts on the wall with nine hands pointing to the same place (mortal peril), utensils over the sink washing the dishes without anyone holding them... she was taken out of her reverie by the inquisitive look that the Weasley couple gave her. 

She felt embarrassed and looked down at the bowl, they apparently hadn't realized they were staring since they immediately drifted their gaze too.

“So... Did the trip go well? I expected you a lot sooner.” Mrs. Weasley tried to start a conversation.

"Ah... Molly!" Arthur started to speak with his mouth half full of soup. “I never want to travel by plane in my life again!”

Mrs. Weasley's eyes widened in fear, fearing that her husband's speech might be misinterpreted by Valerie, since she was the reason for the trip. But the girl tried to suppress a laugh.

"Does this remind you of something?" She said raising the spoonful of soup and pouring the half-solid content back into the bowl. Arthur shrugged his shoulders as if he were shaking off a shiver and Valerie laughed even more. "He threw up on the plane, Ms. Weasley." She explained then put another spoonful of soup in her mouth. Molly checked their expression before laughing at her husband's disgrace with them.

When she finished eating her second bowl of soup, Valerie was led by Mrs. Weasley up the stairs to the bathroom, where she cleaned herself and brushed her teeth. Her suitcase had already been taken to the room where she would sleep and she couldn't be more grateful for the existence of magic since she stuffed as many clothes as possible in the suitcase and it was too heavy to carry.

Upon entering the room in her pajamas, she came across a red-haired girl about the same height as she was, waiting leaning against a desk.

"Hey, I'm Ginny." She said holding out her hand.

"Valerie." She replied holding her hand.

"So ... which bed do you want?" She asked opening her arms and pointing to the beds in the opposite sides of the room.

Valerie knew that she was giving her the option of host politeness, but she also knew that she should use her visitor politeness if given the choice. However, the beds were identical, she didn't know which one to choose.

"What's the difference?" She asked, intrigued.

“None, actually. Mom used the gemino spell to copy the bed, so... Do you like the sun? ”

"What do you mean?"

“Well, in this bed here by the window, the sun hits it in the morning. Not on your face,” she clarified “but on your feet. And it feels really good to wake up like that.”

"I think I already made my choice then." Valerie said heading to the bed next to the poster-covered wall.

She didn't mind the sun hitting her feet, but Ginny described it all in a way that gave the impression that she liked that side of the room better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates come weekly, next chapter we'll have a bit more explanation about who is Valerie and how she came to exist in this story. I'm excited!


	3. Fair play

Harry felt like he was going to be sick, rocking his body from side to side in a futile attempt to find his balance. He was happy to know that his first apparition experience in life had been with Dumbledore because he didn't want to end up losing any part of his body on the way.

"Is everything okay, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, taking him by the arm and scanning his face. Harry just nodded, afraid that if he opened his mouth to say anything, he would throw up in front of the headmaster.

The last sun rays dimly illuminated the sky, indicating that night was near. Harry followed Dumbledore as he walked calmly towards a square and sat on one of the benches next to the old wizard.

"I think you better sit down, in addition to the apparition I have news that can upset your stomach." Dumbledore said calmly. Harry allowed himself to take a good look around checking that no one was watching them, but the neighborhood that surrounded them seemed practically abandoned. All the lights in the houses were off even though the darkness was fast approaching.

“I have already apologized for the way I alienated you in the recent past, but I would like to take the opportunity to do so again. From now on, we will have frequent meetings where I will share sensitive information with you. In addition, I would like to inform you that you have my permission to share everything we discuss with Mr Weasley and Miss Granger.”

Harry nodded again. It was strange to be sitting side by side with the headmaster, since normally their conversations took place in his office and they positioned themselves face to face. The boy wiped his sweaty palms on his legs.

"Professor," he started, "I'm sorry to ask, but if I'm allowed to share everything with Hermione and Ron... Why don't they just attend our meetings then? I understand that today may not be a good time, but in the future... At Hogwarts...”

“I don't want to deprive your friends of a social life by forcing them to come to my office and raising questions between school staff and other students. However, I understand that it is of your will to give me some of your free time so that we can discuss pertinent matters?”

Harry agreed again. Despite the icy breeze that prickled the hair on his arms, he felt confident at that moment, knowing that from now on he would help Dumbledore and participate in decision making.

“Now, the exact reason we're here is that I need to invite an old friend of mine to teach at Hogwarts again. I have lost count of how many times I have had to do this in the past few years, but our staff is short and I need your help to convince him. First of all,” he said, raising his hand to interrupt some question that Harry was already asking on his lips “let's go over the bad news I mentioned earlier. Lucius Malfoy escaped Azkaban.”

"But how?" Harry asked indignantly. "He served less than a month, then?”

“The dementors, as I always suspected, are on Voldemort's side. That was how that mass escape occurred last year and that is how Lucius fled now. His wife and son are being watched by the Ministry, they deny that they have even seen him since the escape, but I very much doubt that they do not know that he is safe, they are just smart enough to hide it very well. Anyway, I don't expect Lucius to reappear anytime soon since he is currently on the Undesireble’s list.”

"By the way," Harry amended, "I read on the Daily Prophet that Fudge resigned. What do you think of the new minister?”

Dumbledore smiled. “Scrimdgeour is a different man than Fudge. And this is already a start. Although the position of Minister is important, I hope you understand enough about politics to know that not everything depends on him.”

"Sure." Harry nodded.

"Have you been experiencing pain on the scar lately?" Dumbledore asked and Harry instinctively put his hand to his forehead.

"Not really. I was a little terrified at the prospect of the visions and nightmares increasing since now everyone knows he is back ...”

“Voldemort is not stupid. The pain he experienced the last time he tried to possess you is something he won't want to taste again anytime soon. Now he must be performing Occlumency against you. As Muggles would say: “the tables have turned”. It also means that I will not require you to continue your private lessons with Professor Snape. We will review this decision, however, if for some reason you get back in touch with Voldemort's mind. We agree that at the first sign, you will let me know if this is happening?”

Harry answered yes with a nod. Knowing he wouldn't have to deal with Snape alone again was good news after all.

"Do you remember the content of the prophecy, Harry? The exact words...?” Dumbledore asked looking at the grass under his feet and smoothing his beard.

“The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."

Harry said the words like a mantra. He had repeated that prophecy to himself so many times that the message was etched into his brain. He doubted that he could ever forget them.

"Precisely." Dumbledore praised him while still stroking his own beard. “What I'm going to tell you now is going to shock you, child. I would be surprised if I didn't.”

He felt a small urge to correct Dumbledore for calling him a child, but decided not to interrupt.

“I tell you this with all the modesty I can, Harry. I am an excellent lawyer. There is a specific reason why the prophecies were in that isolated room and under a magical protection that prevented anyone from reaching them. When Voldemort fell for the first time a scandal broke out. Some people knew about the existence of the Prophecy: me, your parents, the members of the Order ... But when the aurors captured the Death Eaters and the supporters of Voldemort who failed to escape, the existence of the Prophecy became public knowledge.

One person tried, at some point, to give Voldemort a baby as a sacrifice so that he could fulfill the prophecy. I see the gears working in your head, Harry and I assure you, it was not a random baby.” Dumbledore repositioned himself on the bench so that he could look directly at Harry's face. "That person did not try to steal a baby from its mother, that person gestated a baby for nine months and offered it as a sacrifice to Lord Voldemort in exchange for the dark mark."

Harry swallowed and mentally thanked Dumbledore for sitting him on the bench before telling him that. His legs felt like they were made of gelatin and his stomach was cold as if a ghost had passed through him.

“That person was Cecilia Malfoy, Lucius' sister. She was found dead the same night he fled Azkaban.”

He took a few deep breaths, still trying to assimilate the information. He forced his memory trying to remember if he had ever heard of Lucius' sister, but nothing came to mind.

"I didn't know that ... I didn't know that he had a sister." Harry said simply, looking down at his lap.

“You can imagine why people don't talk about her. Virtually the entire wizarding community knows who she is and what she did, but they never forgave her for it. She was convicted, of course. Many people at that time escaped a more severe penalty saying that they were under the Imperio Curse or variants of it... However, Cecilia escaped because I advocated in her defense.”

He looked up to look directly at the Headmaster.

"Don't look at me with that face, Harry. It was thanks to the brilliant defense I made in Cecilia's case that I was able to convince the Ministry that easy access to the prophecies could cause much worse damage than in her case.”

"And... what about the baby?" Harry was afraid of the answer.

"Oooh... The baby was a girl." Dumbledore chuckled sadly. "A girl. Can you imagine what someone as old-fashioned as Voldemort did when Cecilia tried to offer him a girl?”

Harry knew the answer. The fact that he was sitting there on that bench with no parents was proof that Voldemort had not acted against the girl, but had chosen Harry as his enemy.

“The prophecy was made shortly after you were born. As soon as Voldemort became aware of it, Cecilia volunteered for the task and the baby was born a few days before your first birthday. After that it was only a matter of time before Voldemort found your parents and you know the rest of the story.”

"Do you think Lucius killed his own sister?" Harry asked seriously.

"I have my doubts. But that she was killed at the behest of Voldemort, I am sure of that. We do not know, however, whether he was simply wanting to send a message or whether the target was actually Valerie. Her daughter." Dumbledore explained to the confusion on Harry's face.

"So he didn't kill the girl?"

“She wasn't at home at the time. A stroke of luck, perhaps. But you must know how often these lucky strokes tend to happen.”

He had no doubts about that. Sometimes he thought about how different his life could’ve been if it weren't for the small strokes of luck (and sometimes bad luck) that fell upon him.

“Valerie Malfoy is under the protection of the Ministry now. Cecilia had been exiled to the United States, but under the circumstances... The Magical Congress does not want to be involved in a possible war and I cannot blame them. She's at The Burrow right now.”

Harry stilled on the bench.

“An inquiry was opened at the Ministry so that she can attend Hogwarts and with over two months to start the school year I am confident that I will be able to put together a good case in time to convince the jury to accept her at school.

Cecilia and Valerie are persona non grata, so to speak, here in Britain. Of course, the girl is not to blame for her mother's mistakes and that was my main defense argument fifteen years ago, but... It was the way the government found to calm the spirits of the community at the time. She was banned from attending a magic school, here or in any other country. They put a specific tracker on her and everything... An overreaction, if you want to know my opinion.

I understand that I am asking far too much from the Weasleys lately, but their home has already received so much protection because of you that it is only natural that we place her there until I get a response from the Ministry regarding Valerie's presence at Hogwarts.”

Harry wiped the sweat from his palms again and took a deep breath. He wanted to ask Dumbledore if Draco would be attending school this year, but he had a feeling that the Headmaster would not have the answer.

"Now regarding my old colleague," Dumbledore stood up after giving Harry some time to assimilate the information "he is in that house." and pointed in the direction of a building.

He had even forgotten that part, the real reason they were in that neighbourhood. Harry should somehow help Dumbledore to convince this professor to teach at Hogwarts. He had no idea how he was going to do it, but in light of everything he had just told him, Harry had full confidence that Dumbledore would explain everything to him in detail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly we're finding out more about the Malfoys. Thoughts? Reviews are always welcome!


	4. Summer days

Harry arrived at The Burrow late that night and after commenting on how thin he was and feeding him properly, Ms. Weasley sent him straight to bed. He didn't remember having slept so deeply in the entire month that he spent at the Dursleys'. He was woken up with a pillow hitting him on the face.

"When did you arrive, you big head?" a blurred figure appeared in Harry's vision, he recognized Ron's voice.

"Last night." he answered groping around the bedside for his glasses.

"Is it true that you went on a mission with Dumbledore?" a female voice asked.

"Hermione!" Harry recognized his friend after putting the glasses on his face. "I didn't know you were already here!"

"I arrived yesterday morning." she said. "Is it true then?"

He nodded without suppressing a long yawn. "And best of all, he authorized me to tell you everything."

"Mum sent us to get you for breakfast." Ron said a little embarrassed. "And we also wanted to know if you already knew... You know... That we have one more guest here at home."

"Ah yes. Dumbledore told me.” Harry was not looking forward to meeting her. So far, he had not gotten along with any member of the Malfoy family and did not know what to expect. Okay, she was raised away from the country and the community to which her family belonged, but he couldn't get out of his mind what kind of person would do what her mother did, and what consequences it would have on a child's upbringing.

When they entered the kitchen, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were already seated at the table next to the girl he thought was Valerie. He hadn't stopped to think about what she looked like before, but seconds before entering the room he had visualized someone like Draco but wearing a wig. Unlike the image he created, her hair was golden and fell over her shoulders in curls that went down to her elbows. Her face was thin but tanned and her eyes were dark.

"Good Morning!" Mrs. Weasley said getting up to rearrange the chairs around the table.

"Hi, I'm Valerie." she stood up briefly and held out her hand to him.

"Nice to meet you, I’m Harry." he responded cordially and sat at the table.

Everyone ate in silence and Harry tried not to look at Valerie too much. An owl pecked at the window and Harry started to get up to catch the Daily Prophet, but Mrs. Weasley got up quickly and did so before him. She unrolled the newspaper right there in the window and stuffed it in the drawer right after reading the first page.

"Did you sleep well, Harry?" she asked, sitting back at the table and forcing a smile. Harry nodded and after a while, when everyone was done Mrs. Weasley got up and started to remove the dishes. "I think you lot can enjoy the sun in the yard a little, don't you think?" she suggested.

Everyone agreed and headed for the door when Valerie said, “Can I help you? It just looks so cool.” she justified by pointing to the dishes that washed themselves in the sink. Harry watched Mrs. Weasley smile weakly before walking through the kitchen door and out of the house.

"She's like an opposite version of Dad." Ginny said.

“Yesterday afternoon she literally asked to help me clean the loo. Can you believe it?" Ron threw himself on the grass under a tree in the garden, putting his hands under his head.

"What I can't believe is that you let her do everything by herself and just watched." Hermione said, kicking him in the ribs.

"Ouch!" he protested. "It's not like you and Ginny didn't come quick as when you saw me just sitting outside of it." he finished smiling.

Harry was more than eager to tell Ron and Hermione everything about Professor Slughorn but with Ginny present he didn't know if he should. Dumbledore had given him permission to tell, but he clearly specified the names of his two closest friends. Regardless, he didn't want to ask Ginny to leave; besides liking her presence, it would be extremely unpolite to do so.

"Mom is on the edge with the editors of the Daily Prophet." Ginny said casually, plucking some blades of grass at her feet.

"And I'm sick of her complaining, I don't know why she doesn't cancel her subscription anyway." Ron said crossing one leg over the other.

"Even with all this nonsense about Harry being The Chosen One and…" Hermione whispered looking over her shoulder towards the house "everything else, I still find it useful to continue receiving the newspaper. As biased as they are, it's still a valid way to know what's going on, even more so now that You-Know-Who is back and everyone knows.”

"But you know it's not nonsense, right?" Harry asked and everyone looked at him curiously. "I am the Chosen One."

Hermione hit him over the head with a book he hadn't realized she was carrying under her arm. "You can't go around telling people." she said urgently.

"I know." Harry defended himself rubbing his head and laughing. Ron and Ginny joined him.

"And do you think she knows, too?" Ron asked.

"Who knows?"

"Valerie... About her father." Ron explained.

Harry tilted his head in confusion. He hadn't read the Daily Prophet for three or four days; he was informed of Lucius's escape and Valerie's existence by Dumbledore. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were sitting in a semi-circle facing him and exchanged significant looks.

"Harry..." Hermione started to say. "What exactly did Dumbledore tell you about Valerie?" her tone was almost a whisper.

“That she is Lucius Malfoy's niece, that he ran away from Azkaban and that he probably killed his sister... that she was conceived in an attempt to fulfill that prophecy and that the plan went wrong. And that the reason she is here at The Burrow is for her protection.”

"And...?" Ron encouraged.

"And nothing. Only that. I don’t understand..."

"Harry..." Hermione spoke with such pity in her voice that he felt like yelling at her to speak at once. "Didn't he tell you about her father?"

"Her possible father." Ginny corrected.

"I... No, he didn't say anything. And I didn't ask, either.”

Harry felt bad thinking about it. He never questioned who Valerie's father was. He had enough knowledge to know that a man would be needed in this case, but he was so quick to judge Cecilia Malfoy's actions that he didn't even consider for a second that someone else was equally guilty for the whole thing.

"Who is it then?" he asked. "Possibly?" he added taking into account Ginny's comment.

"Ah, Harry, you're smarter than that." Ron teased. “The Daily Prophet created a name for her, you know. Like they call you the Chosen One, they call her... The Dark Child.”

A shiver went up Harry's spine. From the little he had seen of Voldemort so far, he had never dared to think of him doing anything human. From eating and drinking water to... Other things. His appearance was disgusting, but he knew that before he fell the first time fifteen years ago, he was physically different. Would it be possible?

"And what does Valerie say about it?"

"How the hell would I know!?" Ron said indignantly sitting up.

"Nobody asked her?" Harry asked confused.

"Surely!" Ginny said full of sarcasm. "The first thing I did when she arrived here was to offer my condolences for her mother’s death and then I asked if it was true that she was You-Know-Who’s daughter."

"We think she doesn’t know." Hermione tried to calm things down. "We think her mother never told her who her father really is and that she has no idea that everyone here in Britain thinks she is the You-Know-Who’s daughter."

“That's why Mom has been hiding the papers, Valerie has been on the cover every day since Malfoy fled Azkaban. We didn't think they would give you a break anytime soon because of that mess at the Ministry, but it seems that they don't even remember you anymore.” Ron said.

“What about Draco and his mother? Anything?"

“They deny that they know about Lucius' whereabouts, but nobody buys this, right? Dad said that the Ministry put all sorts of spells on their manor to know every time someone enters or leaves and until now… no sign of him. But he would have to be very stupid to return home peacefully after breaking from jail.” Ginny shook her head.

They heard Mrs. Weasley yell at Ginny from a distance to help her with something inside the house and inside she went. Harry watched her fire-colored hair reflect the sunshine as she walked into the house. As soon as she entered, Harry told Ron and Hermione everything about the new Hogwarts teacher and about Dumbledore asking him to approach him.

“He doesn't sound all bad. It can't be worse than frog face, can it?” Ron commented.

“I suppose Dumbledore wants you to approach him in order to improve your performance in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The way everything has been going ...” Hermione let her voice die with the indication of an upcoming war.

“Anyway, let's change the subject because I've thought about it too much in the past few days. How has it been with Malfoy here?”

"She arrived only a couple days ago." Ron shrugged. “She spends most of her time quiet and anything is an excuse to stay with Dad or Mom instead of with us. I think it could be much worse.”

“She is apprehensive about the possibility of going to Hogwarts. Mr. Weasley was telling us that if Dumbledore manages to convince the Ministry she will go straight into the fifth year and if I was already panicking about my OWLs having studied for five full years imagine how she must be feeling when she doesn't even have a wand.”

“Nobody was panicking as you were about the OWLs, Mione. Let’s start from there.” Harry said laughing. "And they don't expect her to actually take the exams, do they?"

"Well, regardless of that, I can't wait for her to get loose with us so I can ask how old Draco was when he stopped wetting the bed." Ron said smiling.

"How close are they?" Harry had assumed they barely saw each other.

“I have no idea, but they must have maintained some kind of contact. According to Dad, Lucius supported his sister financially all these years, so...”

<<<>>>

The next day, four Hogwarts owls came in through the window, bringing good and bad news. The good news, for Valerie, is that Dumbledore got permission for her to attend the school year as an honorary student and that she would have private lessons with teachers during her free time so that she could advance enough in knowledge to accompany her peers.

The bad news, for Harry, is that despite having passed Potions in his OWLs, he received an Exceeds Expectations and he knew that Snape only accepted students with ns Outstanding in his NEWTs class. His life dream of being an auror went down the drain, as this was one of the mandatory subjects for anyone who wanted to pursue a career.

He had thought about it so incessantly that he did not stop to consider any other possibility for the future besides this one. He knew that he wanted to overthrow Voldemort, and what better way to do that than by joining the group of wizards whose job was to defend the wizarding society from darkness?

He felt a twinge of regret for not taking Potions classes more seriously. Although Snape was a bastard to him, Hermione had volunteered on more than one occasion to be his tutor, but he preferred to use his free time for Quidditch.

Now she was sitting by his side looking at a report with no less than nine Outstandings and one Exceeds Expectations. He smiled because she looked barely disappointed with the result, typical Hermione Granger behaviour. In the end he tried to get excited because now he could choose which subjects, he was going to study and he would have plenty of free time.

<<<>>>

As the weeks went by Hermione and Harry got very close to Valerie. He was starting to suspect that Dumbledore hadn't sent them both to The Burrow so long before classes started idly. Valerie had no one and building a bond with the two of them, who were also raised as muggles, seemed to be helping. She spoke more now and appeared to have noticed that they were not very fond of Draco and her family, so she avoided the subject.

Things were running smoothly until four days ago, when she got up before the sun rose and, in an attempt to prepare a surprise breakfast for the whole family, she found a drawer full of newspapers with all kinds of horrible articles about the Malfoys, including herself. Mrs. Weasley found Valerie sitting on the kitchen floor surrounded by almost a month’s worth of newspapers.

If she hadn't known about the rumors of her fatherhood before, now there was no doubt. She spent the day locked in her room reading Ginny's old books, which Harry considered a setback; the next day she attended breakfast as if nothing had happened and despite her attempts to continue socializing, Harry knew that she was not well.

Harry was not very happy with the idea of a joint birthday party for thm, not for him, but for Valerie. No one who could attend the party knew her and he was sure it would make her uncomfortable. Mrs. Weasley was emphatic in saying that it was not a party but a simple dinner with a cake for dessert and that Valerie needed the distraction now. So, right now Harry was watching Ginny insist that Valerie let her fix her hair.

"What are you going to wear anyway?" Ginny asked, smoothing Valerie’s hair.

“I was under the impression that it was just dinner. I didn't think I had to wear anything special.” Valerie was lying with her head on Ginny's lap, who was leaning against a tree in the orchard.

“It's just dinner, but it doesn't mean you should wear just anything. It's your birthday dinner!” Ginny tried to reason with her.

"What are you going to wear, Harry? And how are you going to fix your hair?” he was taken aback by Valerie's question. He was sitting next to them polishing the handle of his Firebolt.

"See? Harry doesn't have to worry about these things, why do I have to? This is sexist!” Valerie crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm sure Harry is going to wear something acceptable today and that he will at least try to press his hair down." Ginny said looking deeply at him and Harry looked away feeling his cheeks heat up.

"If you promise not to tell Mom, I’ll use magic on your hair." Ginny whispered and appeared to have won the battle because Valerie stood up and ran a hand over her body to clean up any traces of grass that were left on her clothes.

"Only if Harry gets dressed up too." she jokingly challenged. The sun was already setting so he thought it would be time to shower if he didn’t want to be late his own birthday dinner. When he came down the stairs after getting dressed, he found Valerie with her hair elegantly braided and wearing a casual dress.

But he couldn't take his eyes off Ginny. Her hair had been combed up in a bun and the green dress she wore contrasted perfectly not only with her skin, but also with her hair.

"What? Are you fancying Malfoy now?" Ron commented following his gaze.

"She's different, that's all." Harry disguised it by smothering his hair nervously.

"Happy birthday Arry!" Fleur got up from the table and kissed him on both cheeks. "We were waiting for you to arrive to give ze gifts."

She handed Harry a package and Valerie another. Apparently, she was not expecting to receive anything, because she accepted the package suspiciously.

"Nice!" she said assessing the set of quills and inkwell she had just opened. "Thank you!"

“We think that it would be useful now that you study at Ogwarrrts.” Fleur said, passing Bill's arm over her shoulder.

"Thank you very much, guys." Harry thanked them for the pair of seeker gloves with his initials that he found inside the box.

After they sat down at the table and started to nibble on some snacks Tonks arrived with two gifts addressed to the birthday people. On the card under the sender's name, he read " _Lupin and Tonks_ ". Together. Harry raised an eyebrow in her direction.

“Remus was unable to attend because of... You know. But I'll tell you all about it later.” she said pointing to the card and winking at him.

He was sitting across from Valerie who enthusiastically opened gifts to her. A glance in the direction of Mrs. Weasley revealed the “I told you so” look he had been waiting for. Everyone there was sensitive enough to bring Valerie a gift, even if it was mostly stationery items that she would have to buy anyway to start studying at Hogwarts.

Mrs. Weasley had invited almost everyone in the Order, but even those who were unable to attend, such as Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, sent a congratulatory card for the date. When she placed two cakes with their names in icing on the table, Mr Weasley rose from the opposite corner of the table where he sat and cleared his throat.

"Valerie..." he started to say placing a small box wrapped in ripped gift paper on the table, "You received a gift from your aunt."

He pushed the package towards her and with the help of people halfway, it was pushed until it rested immediately in front of Valerie. Tonks opened her mouth to say something, but Mr Weasley raised his hand to interrupt it before it even started.

“Narcissa addressed the package to me a week ago. She was aware that we were going to do all kinds of tests to see if there was anything unusual about this. We didn't find anything, sorry for ruining the package.” he said waving for her to open the box.

"I heard about that." she said analyzing the ring in the light. "It was my mother's, before..."

The rest of the sentence died on her lips. Whether for fear of continuing to speak or if she was fascinated by the piece it was difficult to say, but she continued to analyze the object. There seemed to be no stone, the curve was made of a silver metal in careful detail as if forming tangled branches that held an open rose in rose gold at the top. It was beautiful.

"Arthur, are you sure it's safe for her to wear that ring?" Tonks asked scanning at the artifact.

“We found nothing dark about it. The only spells detected were the size adjustment and the thief's charm.” Arthur clarified.

"What does that mean?" Valerie stopped halfway putting the ring on her finger.

“Simply that it will adjust to the size of your finger and that you are the only person who can remove it. They are very common in family heirlooms.” - Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Try it." she quickly put the ring on her finger and held out her hand to Harry.

It took him a moment to understand what she wanted, but he tried unsuccessfully to pull the ring off her finger. She brought her hand back to her body and easily pulled the ring off her finger with her other hand.

"Nice!" she said and turned to Ginny to try to take the ring off her finger this time.

Tonks began her usual presentation of changes in her face after the cake while Mr. Weasley, Bill and the twins chatted in the corner of the kitchen. Fleur spoke enthusiastically to Mrs. Weasley about the details of the wedding she was already planning, and she simply agreed with everything without seeming to pay much attention.

"How you do it?" Valerie asked curiously, sipping her pumpkin juice.

"Oh," Tonks said, turning her duckbill back into a mouth, "I'm a metamorphmagus."

" I realized that." Valerie said anxiously. “What I meant is like... How do you do? My mother... She was a metamorphmagus. At least that's what she told me. But I don't know if I am one too.”

“There are not many studies on this, but generally the chance is greater of being passed on hereditarily on the female side, from mother to daughter. Have you ever made something in your body change, even without meaning to?”

"My hair, I changed color once when I was a child, but my mother said she couldn't say for sure if I was a metamorphmagus because when you're a child you don't have control over magic or something like that."

"Hmm..." Tonks looked thoughtful. "And how did you go about changing it back?"

"I didn’t." she blushed. “My hair was blond and one day it went black. But my mom wouldn't let me try to change it back so I dye it.”

Only then did Harry realize, where Valerie's hair parted to form the braids Ginny had created, a thin line of black roots in the golden strands. After that they continued talking, Hermione more excited than anyone to hear from Tonks everything she knew about metamorphosis and imagining that she already knew what the first topic she was going to study at the Hogwarts library would be when classes started.

Harry remembered the time that aunt Petunia practically shaved his head leaving only a horrible fringe covering his scar, and how the next day he woke up with his hair in much the same way it was before she cut it. Perhaps what Valerie described was just child magic. Innocent. But in the back of his mind, he was also able to remember an image he had not seen for a long time: Tom Riddle, coming out of the diary in the Chamber of Secrets, with his sleek black hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Reviews are always welcome! xx


	5. Choices

"Hey guys!" Ginny said sticking her head in the crack of the door.

The three of them started to get up.

"No." she said calmly passing her body into the room and closing the door behind her. “Dinner is not served yet, in fact, Mum asked me to warn you that it will be late. Dad just arrived with Valerie from Diagon Alley and they were attacked.”

Everyone looked scared and Ron, who was sitting on the floor, got up, but immediately sat on the bed.

“They are fine. As fine as anyone can be in this situation. Valerie is in the shed and Mum and Dad are discussing what to do in the kitchen.”

"Merlin’s beard!" Hermione exclaimed, placing her hand on her forehead. "It means that they infiltrated the Ministry then."

"How come?" Harry asked.

“Remember, you told us that she has a specific tracker on her? Someone must have been watching it and so they knew she was in Diagon Alley, out of reach of the protective spells placed here.”

“They took Ollivander. Dad said he's not sure how many there were, but at least three hooded people broke into his store and took him a few minutes after Valerie left.” Ginny told them.

"And how can you possibly know that?" Ron challenged.

"Mom told me to come up and tell you to stay inside the room until she gave the signal, but I sat at the top of the stairs for a while before I came here." she shrugged. 

"What else did you hear?" Harry asked.

“Dad thinks they took Ollivander to outwit the fact that they really wanted Valerie. It is too much of a coincidence that the last wand he sold is hers.”

"Poor thing." Ron sighed after a few seconds. “It is the second time that they have tried to get her in two months. It looks like You-Know-Who is more interested in her than in you, Harry.”

"I think you should talk to her." Ginny said to Harry.

"Why?" Harry asked confused.

“Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe because you're the only other person in the world who knows what it's like to be the target of You-Know-Who? She needs support, Harry. Do you know why Mum put her in my room with Hermione and me? Even with so many other empty rooms in the house?” Ginny exploded.

Harry shook his head.

"They fear she will kill herself, you dunderhead." she sighed desperately. “We cannot leave her alone. She has no one, Harry. Nobody."

He felt his heart sink into his chest. He also had no one among the Muggles, he had no family. But during the past five years he had built strong bonds of friendship and affection at Hogwarts and he could no longer imagine his life without these people.

With that thought he got up and went to the shed where Mr. Weasley kept all kinds of Muggle artifacts that he found interesting. Valerie was in a corner fiddling with a turntable.

"Hey!" he caught her attention.

"Hey." she replied in a weak voice. She had red eyes and slumped shoulders.

"Are you alright?" he didn't know where to start.

"No." she replied smiling embarrassed, still fiddling with the needle on the record player.

He approached her and took a calculator from a nearby box. It was out of battery. "You bought a wand." He pointed in the direction of her pocket, the tip of the object was visible.

She reached for her wand in her pocket and pulled it out. "I don't even know how to hold it." She laughed in despair.

"Like this." Harry said placing his fingers around the object and holding her wrist with his other hand to keep it steady. “Of course, over time you will discover the most comfortable position. It's like learning to hold a pencil to write, after a while you don't even notice it anymore.”

He pulled his wand out of his pocket and compared it to Valerie's. "Holly and phoenix feather." He said turning the object between his fingers towards her.

"Ebony and kelpie hair." Valerie described her own wand in response.

"Seems interesting." Harry encouraged her.

"I'm sorry for the man who sold me the wand." She sighed, still admiring the object.

"It was not your fault, there is nothing to feel sorry about." Harry clarified.

“I doubt it very much. Mr. Weasley and I were walking down the street, about three stores away when it all happened. And it was so fast... I hope he is fine; he was a very old man.”

"Mr Ollivander scared me a little the first time I saw him." Harry smiled remembering. “In my defense I was 11 years old and had just discovered that I was a wizard. I think he is too passionate about the art of wand making, which is why he speaks so intensely about them that it scares people.”

“If it helps you, I was also a little scared today. My mother told me a few things about the wizarding life when she had the patience and the prospect of having a wand choosing me... I think I was more afraid of not being chosen than anything.”

Harry remembered feeling the same when he bought his wand. Of course, the fact that he was chosen by Lord Voldemort's twin wand did not reassure him much at the time.

“He talked a little about my mother's wand while he measured me and asked me to test some copies. He said it was a rare-core wand... Thestral hair? I don't know this animal, but in the end, he apologized for talking too much and said he was sorry for what had happened. I still don't know if he meant my mother or the wand... It was split in the half by the Ministry.”

"There you are!" Mr. Weasley bustled into the shed. “We received a letter from Dumbledore regarding what happened today. Can you join me and Molly in the kitchen?” He invited.

Once they entered the room, Mrs. Weasley enveloped Valerie in a tight hug and something in the way she responded told Harry that she hadn't been given a hug for quite some time. She stood with her arms at her sides and her eyes widened without understanding.

“I'm sorry, Valerie. I didn't want you to go to Diagon Alley in the first place, but opening a bank account and buying the wand was something you had to do in person.” Mrs. Weasley justified herself.

"It's all right." Valerie sighed, looking from Mr. Weasley to Mrs. Weasley. "What is happening?"

“We will order your uniforms for you; we will use Ginny's measurements. And your list of books is the same as hers, they will be delivered by mail as well.” Mrs. Weasley was curling her hands together.

"Okay." Valerie said slowly, suspiciously.

A thud was heard from upstairs.

“We're sorry, Valerie, but Dumbledore thinks it's more prudent for you to be taken to Hogwarts. Immediately." Mr Weasley said sadly.

"What?" Harry was surprised by the tone of his own voice. “She's safe here, she won't be going back to Diagon Alley anymore. Why does she have to leave?”

"Harry, dear... You know we don't argue with Dumbledore when he makes his decisions." Mrs Weasley said.

"We absolutely do not want you to feel that you are not welcome in our home." Mr Weasley told Valerie, who was looking at the floor with determination. "But we have strong suspicions that someone at the Ministry has leaked information that you were at Diagon Alley today, and Dumbledore doesn't want to risk your safety."

Ginny came down the stairs dragging Valerie's suitcase, followed by Ron and Hermione. Harry felt his stomach churn and could only imagine what Valerie was feeling. Although everyone said otherwise, it looked like she was being thrown out of the house.

Someone knocked on the kitchen door and Mrs. Weasley hurried to open it. The man entered the room and Harry couldn't imagine a more bizarre combination of person and location: Professor Snape in The Burrow’s kitchen. He kept the old expression of _nothing_ on his face, as per usual.

"This is Severus Snape, dear." Mrs. Weasley told Valerie who was now trying to contain her tears. "He will accompany you to school."

Ginny ran to hug her. "We will see each other at school in two weeks." her voice was drowned out by Valerie's golden hair.

“The floo network is not secure, nor do we think it prudent to produce a portkey considering who might know about it at the Ministry. He will apparate with you to the outskirts of the school and from there he will take you inside the castle.” Mr Weasley said, running his hands over Ginny's back so that she could release Valerie from the embrace.

"Apparate?" Valerie asked in confusion "And I'm going to be at school alone this whole time?" She looked on the verge of a panic attack and Harry felt like shouting.

"You will not be alone." Snape said for the first time since he arrived. "The castle has more protective measures than this house and you will be surrounded by teachers competent enough to ensure your safety."

But Harry knew that was not what Valerie meant. Even more surprising was when Mr. Weasley wrapped Valerie in a hug and said, “Remember when I brought you and we flew in? Now I need you to be brave and go with Severus, and make sure you write me a letter telling you whether you threw up or not after the trip.” He said with a friendly smile and letting go of the hug.

Valerie replied with a forced smile and pulled the bag by Ginny's side by the handle toward the door. Without any formal farewell, Snape turned his back on them and she disappeared behind his silhouette. The kitchen door slammed with the wind and before Harry could reach the window, they were gone.

<<< >>>

The next morning an owl from Hogwarts arrived with a letter written especially by Dumbledore.

_“Valerie is safe and excited to start her magical studies; she is taking advantage of all the free time that teachers have to spare before regular classes start. I encouraged her to communicate with you during this period, but she chose to focus all of her energies on the task of reaching a fifth grader’s level of magical performance._

_Speaking of which, we had a discreet Selection ceremony on the presence of the four Heads of the houses and the Sorting Hat made Valerie Malfoy the newest addition to Gryffindor. She looks forward to the arrival of her friends on September 1st._

_I do ask, however, for discretion regarding this information. I've been trying incessantly not to feed the leeches of the Daily Prophet with information about Valerie and they already have enough to talk about, including the attack on Diagon Alley._

_Regards,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_P.S .: Arthur, Valerie wishes to inform you that as unpleasant as the apparition experience was, she did not vomit (a lot). ”_

It was reassuring news for sure. Although the people around the table were excitedly discussing the fact that she was selected for Gryffindor, Harry was not at all surprised. He knew that the Sorting Hat took into account the person's choice, and Valerie had so far met only Gryffindors (from Dumbledore to the Weasley family, him and Hermione). Thinking about her alone in that castle it seemed only natural that she should choose the House that really made her feel at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... we have the first appearance of Severus Snape (albeit brief). Like I put in the tags, this is a Snape-centric work, but I wanted to give this OC a bit of introduction first. Expect more of him to come gradually as the story develops. Reviews and comments are always appreciated! xx


	6. Snape victorious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't express how sorry I am for the lack of updates! Like I said, I have a good chunk of material already written, but I fell sick over the past weeks so couldn't post (not covid thankfully). To make up for it, over the next days, I will be posting chapters to make up for the weeks absent (one for each delayed week). Thanks for the understanding!

Harry couldn't decide what was bigger: his bad luck or Draco's luck. As he walked towards the castle, under Snape's acid comments he tried to recap everything he heard Draco saying on the train so that he could tell Ron and Hermione in the first opportunity he had.

At first, they seemed completely skeptical of Harry's suspicions, but since the day they saw him at Knockturn alley he couldn't help thinking that he was planning something beyond the usual bullying in the school halls. At that specific date he seemed to be too interested in something at Borgin & Burkes and today in the Hogwarts Express he mentions a task given to him by Voldemort himself?

“I suppose you wanted to make an entrance, did you? And with no flying car available you decided that bursting into the Great Hall halfway through the feast ought to create a dramatic effect.” Snape commented, stopping when they reached the door of the Great Hall. ““No cloak. You can walk in so that everyone sees you covered in blood, which is what you wanted, I’m sure. Maybe then someone will stop talking about the Malfoys and remember that The Chosen One still attends this school.”

Passing through the door he quickly located Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and hurried up the steps to sit beside them quickly, with his head down.

"Harry, what happened? We were dying of worry!” Hermione spoke desperately.

"It was nothing."

"Is that blood?" he heard Valerie's voice ask and raised his face to find her sitting across from him.

Hermione used a spell to wipe the dried blood off his face and shirt after Harry assured her he wasn't bleeding anymore. Valerie then told him about how private lessons had helped her so far; she was sure that she was indeed a metamorphmagus and now she displayed a curtain of silver hair over her head.

For a few moments he even forgot about the girl's existence. Although the subject of gossip in the Hogwarts Express was her, getting kicked in the face and having to walk from Hogsmeade to the castle seemed to distract him from his anxiety about how she was doing. He expected to find her upset about being alone all this time in the castle, but she seemed more lively than he had seen her so far.

“I still can't make big changes, but Professor McGonagall was surprised by my ability to change my hair in such a short time. I did it this morning!” she said smoothing the strands proudly.

Professor Dumbledore caught everyone's attention when dinner was taken out and dessert was served. After the usual announcements, from security measures to Filch's list of banned items, he was finally about to announce the new teacher Harry already knew.

“It is with great pleasure that I would like to invite everyone to give a round of applause to the newest member of our faculty: Horace Slughorn.” All students and teachers obeyed the command and he briefly got up from his chair to wave a thank you.

"Professor Slughorn is an old colleague who agreed to resume his old post as Potions master..."

"Potions?" the question was repeated throughout the hall in different tones as Dumbledore continued his speech.

"... and in turn, Professor Snape then takes on the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." A round of applause broke out from the Slytherin table to which Snape responded with a wave of his hand and a wry smile.

"You said Slughorn was going to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts!" Ron said indignantly and muffled the end of Dumbledore's speech.

“Well, with the Umbridge leaving, I imagined it was this position that he would assume. But on second thought, Dumbledore never mentioned anything... It was my fault.” he apologized.

"What's wrong with that?" Valerie asked, finishing up a slice of pudding. "I had a few classes with Snape, I made some progress."

"That position is jinxed, Valerie." Ron explained. “No teacher lasts more than a year in the post, we even had a teacher who died. I am particularly hoping for another death.” he finished calmly and attacked a bowl of ice cream in front of him.

"Don’t be an idiot, Ron." Hermione smacked his arm making him drop ice cream on the table. “You don't have to worry, Valerie. This thing about the post being jinxed is just a rumor and nobody is going to die.” She put her hand over hers on the table.

Only then did Harry see Valerie's horrified look at what Ron said and stopped to think that for someone who hasn't lived Hogwarts for five whole years like him, all of this could seem too bizarre. When in fact, really bizarre was the fact that he was used to it. He was not a fan of Snape, much less after what happened to Sirius. If he hadn't spent so much time teasing Sirius for being locked up in the Order's headquarters while the others went on mission, maybe he wouldn't have rushed to the Ministry and would still be alive. However, Harry didn't want anyone else to die, not even Snape.

At the end of the feast, they got up and Harry saw Draco swaggering towards him casually with a hand in his pocket. He was already in a position to attack him when he felt someone behind him pass by pushing his body in the way.

"Mom sends her greetings and wants to know if you liked the ring." he said coldly.

"I thank you and return the compliments, please inform her that the ring fits me well." Valerie crossed her arms over her chest. Despite the tension in the air, Harry wanted to laugh. The scene looked ridiculously rehearsed.

"Mom asked me to express her wish that you send her a letter." the apathy in Draco's voice and face contrasted the interest he wanted to show with his words.

"I appreciate that she thinks of me right now, but I don't have an owl." Valerie uncrossed her arms and glanced sideways. In addition to Harry, a few other people were starting to gather around them.

“You can use my owl for now and in the future Mom can buy you one. If that is really the problem.” Draco pricked.

"Aunt Cissa can expect to hear from me before the next weekend." she said and walked towards the door.

"Congratulations on making Gryffindor." Draco shouted from a distance. "Shaming the family like that, Aunt Cece would be proud."

Valerie heard the insult, but did not respond. Harry had followed the speculation on the Hogwarts Express and kept secrecy about the house would Valerie would be in at Hogwarts. So many people were waiting for her to participate in the Sorting Ceremony that they barely noticed that she was already sitting at the Gryffindor table when the students arrived. It would certainly have been embarrassing for her to be selected with the first years, in front of everyone.

<<< >>>

Valerie ran as fast as her legs could allow. She already knew the way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, but was interrupted by a poltergeist midway and that delayed her. As her wristwatch showed, class started right now and she still had a few good hallways to pass by before reaching her destination.

Upon reaching the wooden door, she stopped for a few seconds to catch her breath (she was already four minutes late, according to the wristwatch) and considered whether it would be better to turn around and just not show up for class. But something inside her told her that Severus Snape would not let an unexcused absence go unnoticed.

"Valerie Malfoy." she heard a slurred voice say when she pushed the door to the room. "Ten points from Gryffindor for lateness."

"I'm sorry, I had a little accident." she tried to justify.

He was standing with his back to the door writing on the blackboard, so he turned towards her before saying, “And another ten points for not complying with the school's dress code. Sit down."

Valerie sighed indignantly.

"Don’t." she heard Ginny Weasley's voice whisper to her from a nearby desk.

"That’s unfair." Valerie said against her friend's advice.

Snape had turned his attention once again to the board when telling her to sit down, so he turned back with a blank expression on his face.

"That ghost or whatever attacked me in the hallway on the way to class, turned my backpack over and spilled all the ink in my inkwell on me and I'm punished?" she crossed her arms over her chest.

“I don't know how things work in the United States or what hole you came out of, Malfoy. But here, at Hogwarts, you must respect the school rules and the teachers who enforce them. It is not my fault that you have not yet learned a simple cleaning spell. Now I'm taking twenty more points from Gryffindor and commanding you for the last time to sit down. That comes to a total of forty points in your first class with me, if you haven't been taught basic math.” and he turned back to the board.

Valerie was livid, but Ginny pulled her by the arm to the seat next to her. In the next class, Valerie arrived five minutes before the scheduled time. As soon as Ginny entered the room, she approached her and asked, "What do you think you are doing?"

"Doesn't it look cute?" Valerie asked casually stroking the long hair under the uniform tie she wore around her head like a headband.

“Everyone in Gryffindor is already mad at you because of the points you lost. I've been trying to calm things down by explaining that it wasn't necessarily your fault, that Peeves already did the same at least once to each of us... But if you start doing things on purpose... ”

Ginny was interrupted by Professor Snape's entry into the room. The desks were pushed aside, and the students huddled in the center waiting for him to approach.

"Miss Malfoy.” he started the class without further ado. "Present yourself to the center of the room"

She walked towards him.

“Can anyone here tell me why I called Miss. Malfoy?”

A few hands came up hesitantly, but one was so stretched out in the air that it looked like the girl wanted to touch the ceiling.

"Miss Lovegood.” he indicated.

"Because she's wearing the tie on her head, not on her neck." she replied in a melodic voice.

Snape began to methodically surround her as he spoke:

“The four houses at Hogwarts are more than just random school divisions. While you are studying here, your house is literally what is meant to be: your home. You must respect your housemates and the House Cup is more than a competition for points. It is a way of demonstrating said respect.

When you stop striving to earn points or deliberately lose points from your house, you disrespect a centuries-old tradition as well as the people around you who welcomed you. Tell me Miss Malfoy,” he stopped in front of her, “what will your fellow Gryffindors think when I take more points for a dress code violation?”

“I don't think they would have to think anything, because you can't take points. I am not violating the dress code.” Valerie spoke with the most angelic face she could manage. "I have a copy of the Hogwarts Code of Conduct here." she said showing a book she was holding on her back. “ ‘The new student uniform is then instituted as a white shirt, black pants for boys and a pleated black skirt for girls, black dress shoes, a tie in the colors of the student’s respective house. In the event of need, students may also use a simple black cloak and/or scarf in the colors of the student's house to protect themselves from the cold. Girls are also allowed to wear black wool tights under the pleated skirt.’ "

She closed the book to which she had obviously marked the exact page because, as everyone there suspected, this action was premeditated.

“This was the last update of the dress code, made by headmaster Dexter Fortescue in 1963. Excuse me, professor, I may not know enough about magic yet, but from what I read in this text it is nowhere specified that I have to use my tie around the neck.” she informed him and placed her hands on the small of her back again and showing as much innocence as she could muster in her face. "Why would you take points away from me, then?"

Valerie noticed that the students around her shifted their weights on their legs, but it didn't take Snape more than a second to answer her:

“Ten points from Gryffindor for wanting to teach me how to do my job, Miss. Malfoy.” he said with contempt in his voice.

Although her classmates were really upset about the loss of points she caused, by lunchtime the story spread and she became a kind of heroine for students from all houses, even some Slytherins.

In the days that followed, not only Snape, but all the other teachers, had to deal with students wearing their ties as a hairband or as a belt. It came to the point that Dumbledore had to announce over dinner that he had made an addendum to the original text, with a picture, specifying that the tie would have to be worn around the neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is one of the HBP's original titles. I love how it shows Snape is where he wanted so desperately to be (DADA teacher) but is not victorious at all. Sometimes I will borrow some titles from JK, although besides OCs and headcanons, I OWN NOTHING.  
> This is as canon compliant to HBP as it can be with the addition of these new characters. On the first week of class in HBP Harry loses 50 pts for a comeback to Snape during class (no need to call me sir, professor - classic!) so I transferred this to Valerie; poor thing deserves some love from the other kids.
> 
> Reviews are always welcome!! xx


	7. Trials and sentences

"I really don't understand how you can be so confident in someone like him."

Dumbledore looked deeply at Harry over the half moon glasses and smiled. "Sometimes I forget that you're just a sixteen-year-old boy, Harry."

"I have lived and seen a lot more than the average sixteen-year-old." Harry sighed.

"Indeed." Dumbledore folded his hands on his lap. "But that doesn't mean I should overwhelm you with information that will just fill your head with worries and get you out of focus."

“Are we close? To defeating Voldemort?”

"He is closer to defeating us than we are close to defeating him, Harry. But I have full confidence that over the course of this year we can dare to match our advantages and disadvantages.”

Harry nodded formally.

“I hope you already have a very small sense of what a war actually does to a community. The losses can be irreparable, especially in a community as small as ours. That's why I ask you to be gentler in your judgments, not only towards Professor Snape, but also towards other people.”

" Professor?" Harry asked confused.

"The information has come to me that you have been somewhat obsessed with Mr. Malfoy and his extracurricular activities."

"Through Snape?" Harry asked acidly.

“Professor Snape, Harry” the headmaster corrected him “But it doesn't matter who brought this information to my attention. What really matters is that I need your undivided attention from now on, so that we can move forward together.”

“Professor, with all due respect, but I really think Malfoy is up to something. And it’s not just a simple thing... I think he’s working directly for Voldemort, that he...”

"That he became a Death Eater?" Dumbledore interrupted. “Harry, I know the Malfoy family. I know what they are capable of and what they have already done, but I very much doubt that Voldemort is recruiting students for the Death Eaters. Contrary to what most people tend to believe, not all of Voldemort's followers are in fact Death Eaters, the vast majority are puppets... People too scared to escape his wrath, who believe it is better to be on his side than that on his path.”

"Professor..."

"Harry," Dumbledore interrupted him. “I need you to be focused. I called you here today to ask you heartily to forget Draco for now and focus your energies on building a relationship with Valerie.” The boy looked confused. Dumbledore got up from his chair and went to a cupboard with glass doors on the side wall. “I fear that there will come a time when Miss Malfoy is going to need protection. Don't get me wrong, I am confident that she is doing well in regular classes and has devoted a lot to the private lessons that the faculty has been giving her. But she can't be locked up at Hogwarts forever.”

"Sir... There are rumors that..."

"Yes, Harry?" he turned around holding a few bottles in his hands.

"About Valerie and Voldemort." Harry was embarrassed to have to ask, and at the same time he was afraid of Dumbledore's answer.

The old wizard continued to look at him, most likely waiting for an actual question. When the question didn't come, he turned back to the cupboard, returning the bottles and selecting another one, on the lower shelves of the pice of furniture.

"I think you take my person as an omniscient being, Harry. I understand that in the muggle world the figure of the one god that Christians place their beliefs in is often represented as an old man with a beard and white hair, but... I am but human. I don't have all the answers. Especially when you don't have the question.

You want to know if Valerie is Voldemort's daughter. And I ask you: what difference would that make in who she is? If I gave you an answer to the question that seems to be so difficult to ask, yes or no... What would you do with that information? What good or evil could come of it? Would you treat her differently?”

He went over to the pensive that Harry hadn't noticed was positioned in the corner of the office and poured the contents of the bottle into it. Harry came over and watched the silvery liquid smoke swirl a few times and an image started to form.

"After you." Dumbledore said indicating the artifact.

Harry reached out to touch the liquid and felt the floor disappearing under his feet for an instant. Seconds later he was on his feet in a round familiar room. He had already been in a similar room; back then watching Dumbledore's memories and just over a year ago, it was he who was on trial there.

"I think we better watch everything and then discuss, agreed?" Dumbledore spoke behind him, startling him slightly. "There I am." he pointed out. The memory Dumbledore was in a corner near the door and his hair was already white, but his beard was slightly shorter. Harry was surprised to approach him and realize that he was talking to Lucius Malfoy. Narcissa was close to the two of them, but far enough not to participate in the conversation, holding a baby in her arms that moved and moaned despite Narcissas’s efforts to keep it quiet and wrapped in the white blanket that enveloped it.

“I'm not going to lie, Lucius. The situation does not look good.” Dumbledore whispered. “The wizengamot is desperate to make someone pay for everything Voldemort did, since they were unable to capture him. I refused your money for a reason; I am not doing it for you or your family name. I'm doing it for this nameless baby. She is not lucky enough to escape the guilt and consequences as many others have.” The wizard's finger pointed directly at baby Valerie, who was still rolling in the middle of the covers.

"We are not a charity case, Dumbledore." Narcissa spit out the words. "We can very well raise the girl ourselves."

"She is my sister, Narcissa." Lucius scolded his wife. "Is there anything we can do to increase the chances that she will not receive a life sentence?"

The sound of a hammer hitting the wood caught the attention of everyone, who went to their seats. Before they parted for the Malfoys to sit in the audience and Dumbledore headed for the center of the room, Harry heard him say to Lucius: "If you believe in some kind of god, now is the time to say your prayers."

"We call the defendant back to the room to hear her sentence." Barty Crouch's voice said from the top of the podium.

A noise of chains being dragged caught Harry's attention towards the door from which a woman walked towards the chair positioned exactly in the center of the room. It was the first time that Harry had seen Cecilia Malfoy and she had a long silver hair full of knots and her pale eyes were sunken in her face. Her body was wrapped in a long dark gray nightgown that made her look even older. How old should she be? If she was younger than Lucius she couldn’t be more than... Twenty-five maybe?

Everyone's attention was focused on her, but the sepulchral silence was interrupted by a loud cry that Harry watched Narcissa try desperately to drown out by shaking Valerie up and down on her arms.

"Does the defense have any last considerations before the reading of the sentence?" Barty Crouch seemed indifferent to the baby's shrill cry.

Dumbledore took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “Many lives were lost in this war and each one has its own value. But let us not forget those who are still here. Those who still have a lifetime ahead of them and enough time to learn from their mistakes. That baby is innocent.” Dumbledore pointed to the chair where Narcissa sat. “And as horrible as the act of her conception may have been, we cannot match those we defeated. Let us not let a child grow up without the presence of her mother, because that is what they would do. And we are not them.”

He must have done some kind of sign, because Narcissa got up and handed the crying baby to Dumbledore over the wooden retainer that separated the audience from the center of the room. As in a very well-rehearsed play, the baby who couldn’t even hold support her head up was placed in Cecilia's lap and her empty gaze turned to the child. Harry noticed that her nightgown was now soaked at the level of her breasts and that Valerie was shaking her head violently from side to side, as if hungry. Cecilia's arms were tied to the chair by magical chains and she started to cry with the baby.

Harry felt his body being stretched and almost instantly where he was watching Valerie now lay the pensieve, with its contents spinning unpretentiously in spirals.

"Sit down, Harry." Dumbledore instructed. “After what you saw, the court reconsidered the life sentence. However, Cecilia's wand was snapped and she was extradited to the United States. It was the nail on the coffin of mine and Lucius’s possibility of a civil relationship. He was under the impression that I would fight for Cecilia to at least be allowed to stay here in Britain, but I first instructed her to plead guilty. And when he found out that I had already suggested to the jury the possibility of Cecilia's extradition before the trial even started... He was furious. But I thought it wiser that Valerie was raised far from everything, just like you.

I was very afraid of what fame might do in shaping her character and I imagine that you can understand my way of thinking today. I don't even like to imagine what would’ve become of poor Valerie being raised here under rumours that she is the daughter of the most powerful dark wizard that has ever existed. I was under the impression that after rejecting her for being a girl and humiliating Cecilia by expelling her from her circle of trust, Voldemort would lose interest in both, and that they would be safe away from here.

As I told you... I am not omniscient. I was wrong and it costed Cecilia's life. Now for some reason he wants Valerie too and I’m starting to suspect that he isn’t just going to kill her.”

"I beg your pardon?" Harry was confused.

“This is all conjecture, but I think you are concerned about the wrong Malfoy. I already have Snape working to ensure Draco's safety and that he doesn't do anything stupid, but Valerie... She's a scared girl who has no one in this world. I fear that Voldemort is trying to recruit her for his side.”

"But you were still telling me today that he wouldn't be recruiting students!" Harry felt lost.

"I said 'simple students', Harry. And Valerie is far from being just another person in this school. Voldemort has a penchant for theatricality and symbolism, the fact that he decided to take that prophecy for granted is proof of that. I would not be at all surprised if he tried to put her by his side... The one conceived to destroy him, now supporting him. Fighting with him and not against him. A political and not a tactical maneuver, mind you.”

Harry had to admit that everything made sense. But something had been bothering him for some time and he thought it was the right time to bring the matter up. "Professor... About prophecy. In a specific part, it says that one cannot live as long as the other survives. Does that mean I have to kill Voldemort?”

Dumbledore crossed his arms over his lap and took a deep breath. After a few seconds, with a wave of his wand he levitated a tea set to his desk and poured Harry's cup from the teapot in the center. Harry reached for the drink and brought it to his lips almost at the same time as Dumbledore.

"How familiar are you with Greek myths?" Dumbledore asked after his second sip of tea.

"Not even a little." Harry confessed with a smile.

“There is a Greek play, by an author called Sophocles. This piece is called Oedipus Rex. A very interesting story that has not left my head since the day I learned that Voldemort became aware of Sybill Trelawney's prophecy.

A couple, king and queen from the city of Thebes finally managed to get pregnant after a long time trying. However, their happiness was short-lived as a prophecy was made that their son would cause disgrace and torment in the kingdom by killing his own parents in the future. Thus, the king ordered the baby to be sent out of the city and left to die.

Except that the abandoned baby was found by a couple who took him home and raised him without telling him his origin story. After being an adult, the baby they called Oedipus consulted an oracle after hearing an argument between his parents in which they talked about him not being the couple's biological son; the oracle predicted that he would marry his mother after killing his father. In order to avoid this tragedy, he fled the city in which he grew up and, on the way, unintentionally, killed the King of Thebes who he did not know was his real father.

Still walking, he ended up in Thebes, and at the entrance to the city he came across a sphinx. In solving the enigma she proposed, the defeated sphinx offered him the queen and the kingdom as a gift. Oedipus then married the Queen of Thebes, Jocasta, without knowing that she was his biological mother. They had four children together and after their marriage a time of great misfortune fell on the kingdom. After countless attempts to discover the cause of so many horrible events Oedipus ends up discovering the truth: That he had killed his own father and married his own mother. Jocasta, consumed by the madness of being the mother of her own grandchildren, killed herself. And so, the prophecy was fulfilled.

My summary does not live up to the full story. But the general message is simple: the prophecy was only fulfilled because they chose to believe in it.”

"So, Voldemort really believes that one of us is going to have to kill the other." Harry said thoughtfully.

“Precisely. But that doesn't mean you have to believe it, too. Who knows what would have happened if the King of Thebes had not sent Oedipus away from the city as a baby? Perhaps the prophecy wouldn’t have come true or perhaps it would come true but in a different way.” Dumbledore stood up and walked around the table to stand side by side with Harry, aiming intently into his eyes. “The most important thing at this point is that you understand that no matter how much Voldemort is blind and obsessed with fulfilling the prophecy, _you_ have free will. You can turn your back on all the words of that prophecy. _You_ don't have to kill him.”

"But I want to." Harry said with deep determination. "After everything he did, after killing my parents and after all the people he hurt... I will not rest until he is finished."

"And you will have my full support on this journey, young boy." Dumbledore said patting Harry’s head affectionately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Game changer chapter coming tomorrow, wink wink!


	8. Walking on thin ice

A figure dressed in an orange dress and green socks climbed the stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"The password?" the Fat Lady asked.

"Hmm..." Luna hesitated. "I'm sorry, but I don't know."

"No password, no entry." the portrait responded irreducibly.

Luna sat on the bottom of the stairs and waited until Hermione appeared. "What are you doing here, Luna?"

“Valerie was supposed to meet me in the Great Hall this afternoon, but she didn't show up. I wanted to see if she’s in there, but I don’t know the password.” Luna replied disappointed.

"Nightingale." Hermione spoke to the picture that swung forward to make way for both of them.

"Ginny, have you seen Valerie?"

“She's been locked in her room since she came back from tutoring with McGonagall."

"Have you tried knocking on the door to see if she comes out?" Luna asked, sitting next to Ginny.

"Only a million times." Ginny replied resting her head on the couch.

"Let me try." Luna said and went up to the fifth-year girls' bedroom door.

“Valerie, it's me. Luna Lovegood.” she said after three knocks.

Unexpectedly, the door opened. A Valerie with red, swollen eyes studied Luna from head to toe. "You look like a pumpkin."

Luna looked at her own clothes and replied proudly. “It's for the Halloween feast tonight. Has something happened to you? We had agreed to meet, but you didn't show up...”

“Ah, that's true. I'm sorry for that, I lost track of time.” Valerie said returning to the common room followed by Luna. "Do you want to go for a walk with us, Ginny?" The redhead shrugged and followed the two out of the common room and then out of the castle.

"I'm really tired." Valerie confessed when they arrived at the lake, frozen by the cold.

"It’s natural, Val. You are having to learn five times faster than we both had to learn." Ginny said waving to Luna.

“And even to this day, there is still a lot that we don't know. Be kinder to yourself.” Luna completed.

Valerie massaged her own neck with a faint smile.

"And we can give you classes like... tutoring, if you think you need it." Ginny stroked her arm.

"What are you reading?" Valerie asked Luna trying to change the subject.

"The new edition of The Quibbler, it arrived yesterday." she replied proudly extending the magazine to her. Valerie flipped curiously through the coloured pages, her mind clearly lost in the face of so many magical terms and nomenclatures.

"I'm going to write mum about returning that ring." Draco Malfoy said coming up behind the girls suddenly.

"What is it now?" Valerie asked without patience.

"In addition to mingling with blood traitors, you start consuming information from this type of source?" he teased pulling the magazine out of her hands.

She tried only once to reach it back from his hands, but because of the height difference he didn't even have to strain, holding the magazine aloft.

“This ring has been in our family for centuries and for some crazy reason mum thought you should have it. I don't think she'll be very happy if she finds out that you haven't been behaving like a real Malfoy.”

“Guess what, _jackass_? I am a real Malfoy, regardless of how I behave. So, I want you to write a very cute letter to your mommy... And then shove it up your ass.”

A significant number of people seemed to gather around them and even the horde of Slytherins that accompanied Draco was holding back laughter at what Valerie had just said. And she smiled triumphantly at that.

"Did you know that there is a spell on that ring?" he replied, grabbing her wrist. “It’s not wicked, nor dark... A simple enchantment that allows only you to be able to remove it from your own finger. I wonder what would happen if I cast _accio_ on it." Draco reached into his pants pocket with his free hand reaching for his wand. "Would the ring come to me, tearing the skin off your finger on the way?"

"Don’t be daft." Ginny threatened pointing her own wand at him.

"Let’s make an appointment to meet sometime. Just the two of us." Draco said ignoring Ginny and letting go of Valerie's wrist. He picked up the Quibbler on the ground and threw it towards the lake with a wave of his wand, which made it practically disappear so far. "Go fetch it, little bitch." he chuckled before turning on his back and walking to a slightly distant corner. But he didn't leave, he sat there watching her and she seemed to realize that both options were equally humiliating: go after the magazine or staying.

She opted for the first.

"Valerie you don’t have to..." Luna tried to reassure her when she started to walk towards the lake. "I can ask dad to send me another one."

"No." Valerie tugged her arm out of Luna's hold. "I'm going to get that magazine and when I get back, you'll want to be close to see what I'm going to do with him."

Rare were the occasions when she had been walking on ice or skating, but she knew very well that it was normal for the ice to make snapping sounds even if it was not going to break. "Relax, I saw people skating here yesterday." She said after a couple steps. Valerie had a vague sense of the direction the magazine had gone, but in that white immensity she could not point out anything colourful and abnormal. She began to suspect that Draco had even done something to camouflage the magazine or that he had thrown it so far that she would never be able to find it.

She felt stupid because she would have to come back empty-handed; and to think that she thought having to go get the magazine was humiliating enough. When she stopped and turned back to the lake, she realized how far she had walked. She couldn't make out people's faces, but a figure dressed in all black waving its arms vigorously indicated that she was in epic trouble. Snape ought to put her in detention until Christmas.

She took a deep breath of the cold air several times before taking the first step back. If she had a choice, she would do it differently. But she hadn't. Without the courage to look directly at the people at the lake, she concentrated on her own feet, moving one after the other in an almost automatic way until the noise of people's voices started to make some sense. It was then that she heard a loud crack and, unable to react, watched her feet sink into the icy water.

The pain of a thousand knives piercing her body all at the same time went through her and the suction of the drop dragged her away from the opening in the ice. She had no time to rationalize anything, panic made the oxygen in her lungs disappear in seconds and more than suddenly... The darkness of the lake took over her mind as well.

<<<<< >>>>>

"What, pray tell, is going on here?" Snape asked as he approached the lake.

"Valerie wants attention." Draco replied reclining on his elbows casually.

Ginny watched Snape take long steps to the edge of the lake where she and Luna were waiting for Valerie's return. “Miss Malfoy! I command you to return immediately.” he snarled, but she seemed too far away to hear him.

"It's not her fault, professor. It was Draco who..." Luna was interrupted by Snape.

“You talk as if I care. I'm taking 50 points from Gryffindor right now for Miss Malfoy’s careless actions.” Snape still had his gaze on Ginny, probably expecting some reaction from her at the deduction of points, when a loud snap drew everyone's attention to the lake. A hole opened and quickly swallowed the girl.

With a flick of his wand, Snape expanded the crack enough that the entire lake now had giant chunks of ice floating on the surface. With a quick tug he released the cloak from his back and, without batting an eye, jumped into the water.

Everyone panicked and Ginny didn't know what to do, she had already heard someone scream for Madame Pomfrey. She felt her stomach churn as Snape emerged over the water a few moments later, pulling Valerie unconscious.

Luna and Ginny dragged her body to the shore and Professor McGonagall had already arrived and was driving away the onlookers. Snape hoisted himself out of the water and assessed her condition in ways that Ginny did not understand. But nothing he did until that moment prepared her for what he did next.

Snape took Valerie's face and rested his lips on hers for a few moments. Luna was in tears, sobbing violently and before Ginny could start reacting to what was happening, he pulled away from her face and began to clench his fists violently on the girl's chest. And then he turned his lips to hers again.

It seemed like a kind of ritual because after a few repetitions Ginny realized that he kept a certain rhythm of time between her actions. Valerie was still motionless and her purple lips indicated that she was nowhere near waking up. Snape cursed under his own breath and there was a desperation in his actions... Ginny couldn't help thinking that if Valerie was awake that she should be feeling a lot of pain, he was practically throwing the whole weight of his body on her chest.

Ginny saw Madam Pomfrey running out of the castle towards them and a loud choking and coughing sound brought her attention back to Valerie who lay at her feet. She was awake and breathing, but she seemed to suffocate and her eyes were screaming what her mouth couldn't say. Luna buried her face in Ginny's neck and hugged her, but the redhead couldn't look away. Snape fell sitting next to Valerie, catching his breath.

"I need someone to hold her arms." Madam Pomfrey said trying to perform diagnostic spells. McGonagall knelt beside the mediwitch and held Valerie's wrists beside her while she trembled violently and grunted like a severely injured animal.

"The sternum is cracked and at least two ribs are broken." Madam Pomfrey said getting up and conjuring a stretcher under her body. "I can't do anything for her here, I need to take her to the hospital wing." and with a wave of her wand she led the stretcher towards the castle.

"You saved her life, Severus." McGonagall said putting her own cloak over his shoulders. “It is extremely common for this to happen in a resuscitation maneuver, a small price to pay for a life. Miss Malfoy will be fine.”

Snape was still sitting motionless in the same place where he had fallen after Valerie woke up, but the mention of her surname sparked something in him. He stood up suddenly, the cloak pooling at his feet, and grabbed Luna by the arm.

"Malfoy did you say?" he asked with a cruel look.

"Let her go!" Ginny cried out, hugging Luna tighter, who was still crying non-stop.

“Mister Malfoy? D- D- DRACO?” he shouted in an attempt to scare her, but the cold he must have been feeling made his teeth chatter violently and only then did she realize how purple his lips were, too.

"He did." Ginny confirmed when Luna buried her face in the curve of her neck again. Snape was still holding her arm.

Conveniently Draco was nowhere to be seen, but Snape marched purposefully towards the castle, ignoring Professor McGonagall's screams that he should go to the hospital wing to avoid hypothermia. Ginny felt no pity at all when thinking about what would happen to Draco when he was found. Snape's look as he released Luna's arm made it clear that he was going to pay dearly for his bad idea of a joke, but Ginny didn't understand why. In the five years that she was Snape’s student, she has never seen him at least hesitate to favour Draco, even in the most ridiculous situations.

<<<<<>>>>>

Snape walked towards the Great Hall following Dumbledore's orders. He demanded that his presence be made at the event although he clearly did not want to participate in any celebration. The Hallowe’en party was the last place he wanted to be that night, so he made a point of being late. To his surprise, Dumbledore delayed the opening of the feast to coincide with his arrival at the teachers' table. Pathetic.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen." he began his speech, rising from the centre chair to the table. “I understand that everyone is hungry and all they don't want right now is a long opening speech. But recent events call for this to be done. A student almost lost her life today on the Black Lake, and from tomorrow onwards, skating on the frozen lake is prohibited even in the height of winter and even with levitation spells on the skates.”

Some students murmured.

"And swimming in the lake is also prohibited, even at the height of summer."

The murmurs grew slightly.

“I expect students and faculty to understand and abide these new rules, which remain strict until further notice. It was also with great surprise that we realized that the vast majority of you have no idea how to aid someone in case of an accident, even without a wand. Thus, our teacher Charity Burbage of Muggle Studies, will give an intensive first aid course next week; participation by all students, even muggleborns, is mandatory.

I believe that this afternoon's accident was nothing more than that: an accident. However, the culprits were identified and duly punished.” he said pointing to the hourglass of the houses, Slytherin last without a single emerald, followed by Gryffindor with an almost insignificant number of rubies.

“Last but not least, I would like to invite a round of applause for Severus Snape. He saved a student's life today, regardless of her blood status or the house she belongs to. May we keep this in our minds and have his selfless attitude as an example.”

Dumbledore started clapping and was followed by the other teachers and all the students at the school, except the Slytherins. Snape made a historic reduction of points in the house of which he was the Head, and he believed that the only reason for the students of the other houses to be applauding was also this one. The only heroic act he had done on that date was to irritate the Slytherin students and the rest of the school seemed satisfied enough with that.

He didn't get up to receive the applause, nor did he react to Dumbledore's emotional speech. It was not necessary either, since in a few seconds the students turned their attention to the dishes that magically appeared on the tables.

With his mind out of the main hall, he stuffed a considerable amount of food in his mouth, interspersed with sips of whatever was in his glass. He did not participate in the conversations between teachers, repeating the behaviour he had always practiced on Hallowe’en for the past fifteen years. After endlessly checking his wristwatch during dinner, it was finally time: it was 10 minutes before 8 pm.

Snape got up from the table and went through the side exit towards the hospital wing. He arrived at the door at exactly 8 and Draco Malfoy was already planted there, with his hands in his pockets and a defiant expression on his face.

"Not hungry?" he asked pointing out the fact that the boy had not attended dinner.

"Quite the opposite." Draco replied dryly. "But I wasn't in the mood to face everyone in Slytherin after the points you took."

"And I hope that was lesson enough." Snape said pushing the wooden door and entering the hospital wing.

“Professor Snape! Miss Malfoy is not in a position to receive visitors and talk.” Madam Pomfrey warned when he went to her bed, followed by Draco.

“Great, I don't want her to do any talking. Can you excuse us, Poppy?” Snape said grabbing Draco by the collar of his shirt and throwing him into the chair next to the stretcher. The mediwitch left the rooms and Snape snapped his fingers over the girl's face, who slowly opened her eyes.

"You must not be able to speak after you have swallowed half the water in the Black Lake, but if you," he said, pointing his wand at Draco, "open your mouth to say anything I will tie your tongue so tightly knotted that you will be lucky if you can speak properly after Madam Pomfrey fixes you up. Understood?" The two nodded and Valerie raised her body to sit on the bed.

"I had an interesting conversation with Draco earlier, but I left out a part that I think needs to be dealt with in the presence of both of you." he crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you know what an unbreakable vow is, Miss Malfoy?" She shook her head.

“It is a promise made in a magical contract. Two parties agree to the terms and if the promise is not kept...” he stopped speaking for a few seconds, evaluating their reaction. Draco looked at the floor indicating that he already knew about the vow, but Valerie was looking at him directly with wide eyes.

“Before the beginning of the school year, I made an unbreakable vow with Narcissa Malfoy. Although your participation in the family is complicated, for lack of a better term, Narcissa did include you in the vow. And judging by the fact that you flaunt this ring up and down, you also included them in... In your life, so to speak.

I swore, literally over my own life, to protect you. So, I would appreciate it very much if you stopped using every opportunity you have to try to kill each other! Look at me!” he shouted and the two looked up.

“Starting today, I will be even more on top of the two of you. Like a nanny, because you are two babies. Two babies who don't know how to behave. I hope you, Draco, have learned a lesson by having all the Slytherin points taken for putting the life of a student in your own family in danger. Good luck trying to regain your reputation.

And you, Valerie, I hope that your near-death experience was enough to teach you that here at Hogwarts you are protected from almost all possible harm. Except for your own stupidity.” He spat out the words and tears formed in her eyes. “Fifty points were deducted from Gryffindor because of your feat. Draco, you are excused. Now it's time for Valerie to have a private conversation with me."

His gaze followed the boy until he closed the wooden door behind him and Valerie immediately shifted on the bed. Snape lifted his palm in her direction, as if ordering her to say nothing. His mask fell, his features turned to pain, and he spoke so softly that she could only hear him because there was no other source of sound in the entire ward.

"How could you?" he asked in a choked voice.

He dropped his own weight on the bed, sitting next to her, with his head down. Valerie lifted her hand to him and, with a delicate movement, placed his hair behind his ear, revealing her face to him, which was covered with a trail of tears and lips that moved without sound forming the phrase "I'm sorry".

"Don't force your throat." he warned untangling her hand from his hair. “You are all that I have, Valerie. And I never need an unbreakable vow to ensure that I will protect my daughter with my own life if need be."

She was crying ashamed.

“Do not put yourself in dangerous situations unnecessarily. We already have enough concerns about the way things are at the moment.” He wiped her face with his thumbs. "OK?" Valerie nodded.

"Only get up just to use the loo and try to move as little as possible on the bed, so you will recover faster." he said getting up and placing a kiss on her forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TAM TAM TAM!  
> Not a major secret I was holding on for long, this is a core part of the story. If you've read the Harry potter saga in its completion you know what was Snape's agenda all along, I just chucked some characters and plot changes that fit into it.  
> Reviews are always welcome. xx


	9. The boggart in the closet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as you may have guessed from last chapter, this story is canon-compliant but not so much hahahah Snape WILL be ooc but I guess that depends on your take on the character: we rarely see him outside of Harry's perspective and that's when we get the most shocking information about him. So I think it's complicated to label the story as "ooc-snape" when we, ourselves, don't know much about him out of the double agent persona. Does that make sense?   
> This is a Snape-centric story so I felt a little explanation was due. I hope you enjoy mentor-snape and dad-snape, as the story progresses we will unravel his mysteries together...

“You still don't seem to have mastered the protection spell, and I think that this is more due to the movement of the wand than to the vocalization. Try moving your wand from the bottom up while saying ‘Protego’. ” he suggested waving his own wand on display.

Valerie was standing in front of him about ten feet away. But despite nodding in agreement with the instructions, since they had entered the classroom for that private lesson, she kept her gaze fixed on the stone floor.

“Of course, keeping your eyes on your opponent helps with focusing.” Snape said snapping his fingers in her direction. She looked up, but her look of concern did not go unnoticed. He was already in an attack position, but he knew that whatever he threw at her, in that state, she would not be able to defend.

"What is going on?" he asked, lowering his arms and taking a natural posture.

"Nothing." she replied with a shrug, gaze still fixed on the floor.

"Look at me." he commanded.

She looked up at him, a few seconds passed by and he believed for a moment that nothing was really happening. Then he resumed the attack position.

"Did you ever like mom?" she asked suddenly.

"What?" Snape answered in a tone of surprise. She shrugged. He sighed and relaxed his arms again. "Of course I liked her... If I hadn't, you wouldn't be here today." he replied gently.

"Ughhh... That's not what I meant. I am not five. I know that in order to make a child you don't necessarily need to like the person. So... Did you ever truly like her?”

Snape wanted to know where the motivation for this question came from, but instead of asking, he analyzed the situation for a few moments. She had an expression of sadness mixed with anxiety. He sighed and headed for a chair that was in the corner of the room, inviting her with a wave of his hand to take the seat across from him.

"Do you miss her?" he asked when Valerie sat down.

“It’s not that…” she took a few deep breaths before continuing “I mean… yes. But… I’m sorry, dad. You haven’t been around that much lately, so maybe it escaped your notice that… In fact, she was dead long before she was murdered.”

Snape took her hand.

“I liked her in my way and she liked me in her way too, but... Sometimes _that_ alone is not enough. And I got busier after Potter entered Hogwarts... One thing led to another. ” he shrugged.

Valerie nodded in agreement and looked down.

"But you told me it wasn't that..." he didn't let go of her hands.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally speaking. "How do you know you like someone?" She asked without the courage to meet his gaze.

Snape felt his stomach do a somersault, he knew that day was coming, but it seemed that it came too quickly. Just yesterday she was barely able to balance herself on both feet and today she was in front of him worried about boys. He must have been lost in his reverie for some time, because she felt the need to clarify:

"It’s just potentially speaking." Valerie finally looked him in the eye.

"Potentially speaking," he said, smiling weakly, I don't think there is an exact formula. "But my best guess is that if you are in doubt for some reason, then you already have your answer."

"I don’t get it."

“If you are in doubt, it is because you like him,” he added quickly in response to her gaze “potentially speaking. If you didn't like him, then there would be no doubt.”

"And what should a person do in this situation?"

Snape sighed deeply. If he could prevent her from making the same mistakes as him, his duty as a father would be fulfilled. Analysing it from such a distance, he knew that no matter what he said, Lily Evans would have never even considered him as a life companion; but never actually telling her how he felt was one of his life’s deepest regrets.

“You can get closer, and be honest with him. Then, if the feeling is reciprocal... ” he did not finish the sentence. He didn’t know how to.

“But what if I make a fool of myself? How do I know when the time is right to _express_ my feelings?” she asked and he saw real panic in her eyes.

"There’s no way to know that for sure." he replied simply. That was the truth.

She turned her eyes to her lap and let go of his hands. Snape saw Valerie struggle with a flood of tears that were forming in her eyes. The battle was won quickly when thick drops fell on her hands and she sniffed her nose.

She certainly had no reason to react that way, did you? Unless the person she was potentially speaking about about was Potter. He felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on as quick images flooded his mind: the two of them holding hands, Valerie introducing Potter as her boyfriend for him... Snape didn't want to hurt her feelings by reacting badly, so he tried to control his expression. He took a handkerchief from his coat pocket and handed it to her, conjured up a glass of water and watched her drink the liquid in two gulps.

"Valerie ...?" he called when she seemed to have calmed down enough to speak.

She looked up and tears welled up in her eyes again. "Dad, I..." and she collapsed in sobs.

It certainly put him on alert and he considered for a moment using legilimency to know what the hell was making her behave that way. But he knew that he shouldn't, and couldn't. He had trained her since early childhood to hide her thoughts and create false memories... Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to extract enough information from her to explain that desperate crying.

Then his mind took him further. He remembered how she emphasized the word "express" when asking about the right time and what she had said about not necessarily needing two people if they wanted to make a child. His eyes fell on her hands, which rested with her palms up at her stomach level... Could it be possible that she was pregnant? She's only fifteen...

"Tell me right now what is going on." he ordered between teeth.

"Dad, I..." her eyes seemed to call for help. "You have to promise that you won't be mad."

"I can't, because you're already making me mad like that." he snarled. “Fuck, Valerie! What is happening?"

His screams seemed to have scared her even more, and she leaned over her lap bursting into tears again. He mentally cursed himself for the outburst and placed a hand on her back, making a rhythmic movement in an attempt to calm her down.

"Whatever it is..." he said after a few seconds, sighing in defeat "I am still your father. And I will be on your side.”

It took a few good seconds for her to lift her torso and meet his gaze again. She wiped the tears from her face, drank another glass of water that Snape offered her and finally gathered the courage to speak.

“I always felt different. At school... I thought it was because I'm not muggle that I felt out of place. Except here...” she took a deep breath. “I still feel different, because I am different. I'm different because I...” she took another deep breath. "I'm different because I like girls... the way I should like boys." and the tears came again, but she did not lower her face.

It was certainly not what Snape was hoping to hear. But it wasn't any better than the previous options either. He felt his whole world turning, but he didn't let it show in his features, he knew that Valerie was watching him at that moment and that his first reaction would impact every second of her life from that day on. She was biting her bottom lip and tears were still streaming down her cheeks as she waited for him to say something.

"Have you ever..." he cleared his throat "Did your mother know that...?"

She shook her head. He scratched his eyebrow.

“You said you were asking all this potentially speaking, that you had no one in mind. Is there somebody on your mind?"

"Luna... Luna Lovegood." she said hesitantly.

"And is Luna also... Well, you know...?"

"I don’t know." she replied, wiping her face. Finally, she had stopped crying. Snape felt his heart physically ache. He was already witnessing what the girl suffered for being a Malfoy, he didn't even like to think about what would happen to her if she ever decided to come out as a Snape... And now that too.

"Wizards and witches are not very different from Muggles in that respect." he started, measuring his words. “In fact, they can be even more old-fashioned, so to speak. I stick to my advice: find a subtle way of knowing if your feelings are reciprocated and if they are... I just ask you to be careful. No one should have to suffer merely for liking someone.”

She nodded.

“Ravenclaws are known for having an open mind. Even if Miss Lovegood doesn't respond to your feelings, I dare say that your chances of finding at least acceptance in her person are great.”

<<<>>>

"You didn't have to stay behind because of me." Valerie said as they left the stockroom next to the greenhouses.

"Don’t worry. Ginny had a date with Dean at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, so I would be alone in Hogsmeade anyway.”

"Where exactly is this playpen?" Valerie asked after a few minutes walking along the shore of the black lake.

"A few meters into the forest, right after Hagrid's hut." Luna responded pointing the general direction.

Valerie didn't know what kind of animal to expect when Luna asked her help to feed a niffler, but the fact that he was locked in a pen didn’t seem like a good omen. The bucket she carried, however, smelled like dog food. She had never had a pet, her mother had never given her permission.

The wooden fence should not be more than three feet high and Luna passed over it into the pen, inviting her to do the same. The niffler approached her, jumping happily towards the bucket she carried. It looked like a platypus, only smaller and furry.

"He must be hungry." Valerie watched as she changed the bucket into her other hand and stuck her right hand in it to get some food.

“Yes, but that’s not why he’s jumping. It's your ring.” Luna said sitting on the lawn.

Valerie observed that even it ate the food she threw on the ground, it kept jumping towards her hand.

"He won't hurt you." Luna said, patting the lawn beside her, inviting Valerie to sit down. "Nifflers love shiny things."

She put the bucket in a corner and sat down next to Luna, who was loosening a golden chain around her neck and holding it out towards the niffler. The playpen must have been no more than four square feet.

"Doesn't he get bored in here?" Valerie asked, watching the niffler run after the chain that Luna shook from side to side. It looked like a cat playing with a ball of wool.

“Hagrid is going to send him to a sanctuary before that happens. You see, as they like shiny things, many people breed nifflers so they can find them coins and other valuable metallic objects. They are very poorly treated creatures. They have a little bag where they keep their treasures, but with age the skin becomes limp and things fall out. A lot of people abandon them when that happens.”

Valerie watched the niffler pull the chain from Luna's hands with his paws and push it into an opening in his belly; it looked like a kangaroo bag. Then he reached for Valerie's hand and tried unsuccessfully to pull the ring off her finger. Luna laughed when the chain fell from the bag and she dragged it with her finger away from Valerie.

She watched Luna tease the animal with the chain for a few good minutes, thinking about how she could tell her that...

"I like you, you know?" There it was. Ready. She said it. Now she just had to wait for her reaction.

“Awn, I like you too, Valerie. And I don't care what people say about whoever is your dad.” Luna replied without taking her eyes off the niffler.

Valerie sighed in disbelief. How could she explain to Luna that she liked her romantically? "No, Luna... I like you the way that... Your mom likes your dad." it was the best attempt she could make.

"My mom died when I was nine." Luna said getting up slightly to get some feed from the bucket. "I know she liked him before, but I don't know if she can continue to like him after she is dead."

Valerie's head seemed to throb. She never imagined that it would be so difficult to make someone understand something that was so simple for her. Now Luna was playing catch-up with the niffler; she threw the chain away and waited for the niffler to bring it back after playing with it for a while.

"Luna..." she sighed looking into her eyes. It was the most beautiful shade of blue that Valerie had ever seen. She had no other way of explaining it, so she slowly approached her face and placed a kiss on her lips. She was afraid of her reaction, but even so she didn't back down and stayed there for a few seconds feeling the warmth of her mouth under hers.

Luna sighed and Valerie opened her eyes, moving away. "No one had ever kissed me before."

"Did you like it?" Valerie felt like an idiot as soon as the words left her mouth.

Luna nodded as she approached and rested her lips on Valerie's. This time they kept their lips apart so that they could move better and Valerie put a hand on Luna's neck almost unconsciously.

They would sit there on the damp grass and kiss all day if it depended on them, but after a while the niffler jumped into Valerie's hand in an attempt to grab the ring. The two girls fell sideways with fright, ant first, and then they burst into laughter.

<<<>>>

“Today we are going to brew the Draught of Peace, which many of you can make use of in light of what this year has in store. The fifth year can be quite stressful and a few sips of this potion can help you calm your nerves and put your thoughts in order.” Slughorn said calmly. "The recipe is on page 42 of the book and you can call me if you have any questions about the preparation."

Valerie started the potion preparation process between Ginny and a girl who she didn't know. Her head was still spinning with everything that had happened over the weekend. Luna's reaction had been better than she could have imagined, but Ginny for some reason was treating her differently. Were it not for the fact that this behaviour had started about a week ago, she would have thought that Ginny had found out about them.

Despite liking Luna, she felt guilty. She had to explain to the girl why they couldn't walk hand in hand in the halls of the school like the other couples and why she couldn't tell friends that the two of them were seeing each other. Luna did not seem aware of the type of treatment they would receive if people knew.

Potions was a class Valerie detested. Even though she had an affinity for subjects that depended little or nothing on magic, Professor Slughorn was pissing her off with invitations to the select club that met a few nights for a casual dinner. When she mentioned this to Snape, he told her it was wise for her to participate and try to mix with other students.

But she knew it was not that easy. First, because everyone, besides the small circle of friends she had, whispered when she entered a room. She pretended not to notice, didn't complain about it to anyone, but she was literally losing sleep over this Dark Child chit-chat. Mainly because she knew it wasn't true, but she couldn't do anything about it.

She wanted everyone to be like Luna. Just the day before, she had taken her to the Ravenclaw tower to talk to the ghost of the Gray Lady about how we should not let ourselves be impacted by who our parents are or are not. And all this without ever asking about Valerie's parentage.

"I have never seen a moonstone as well ground as this!" Slughorn had come up behind the counter where she worked. "Of course, the preparation of the ingredients is just as important as mixing the potion itself, but you took too long and now that the potion has acquired that orange hue it would be a waste to put a moonstone so well ground in it."

Indeed, she had spent too much time grinding and forgot the potion she brewed in the cauldron.

“Partner up with Miss Weasley here, I guarantee that she will make good use of your well-prepared ingredients.” he indicated Ginny's cauldron that contained a potion in the correct shade of pink.

"Professor." Ginny raised her hand. “I don't find it very productive to work as a duo since I am going to take my OWL test individually.”

"Nonsense! At most, it will encourage you to be more careful in preparing your ingredients.” he said with a pat on Ginny's back.

"If you don't want to work with me, just say it." Valerie spoke between her teeth as soon as the professor walked away.

"I don't want to work with you." she said taking the moonstone dust and adding it to her potion as instructed.

"What’s the matter with you?" Valerie whispered angrily.

“Draco also didn't go to Hogsmeade this weekend. I think you guys spent the weekend together. Conspiring.” she concentrated on preparing the potion.

"Even you?" Valerie asked without patience.

"Ah, so you know what I'm talking about?" Ginny stopped to look at her for a moment.

“Harry came up with some weird questions to me the other day. I figured he said something to you too, then?” Valerie responded by adding hellebore syrup to the cauldron.

“So, you don't mind telling me what you did this weekend? When I came back yesterday you weren't at the Gryffindor Tower and it was almost night.”

“Okay, miss detective of police. I was with Luna. She stayed with me for almost the entire weekend. I suppose you were too busy playing tonsil tennis with Dean to notice she also wasn’t in Hogsmeade.”

Ginny grabbed a piece of valerian root from her set of ingredients and threw it at Valerie.

"It looks like someone here would make good use of that potion, huh?" Slughorn said playfully returning to the bench where the two worked. “Judging by the characteristic silver mist, I would say that this is the only potion in the class suitable for consumption. Now, I'm going to give Gryffindor 10 points for teamwork if you two promise me to have a sip of that potion before attending tonight's Slug Club dinner.”

They both nodded. Ginny had already attended one or two of those meetings, but Valerie had managed to decline the invitation on more than one occasion. This time around, there was no escaping.

<<<>>>

"I’m sorry." Ginny said running a brush through her hair in front of the mirror.

"For?" Valerie asked, swapping her jeans for a rounded skirt.

"For the root I threw at you." she replied. "And for the accusation I made."

"You asked Luna and she confirmed it you?" Valerie rummaged through her trunk in search for a blouse that matched her skirt.

“I'm sorry, okay? I really am! Draco is a little piece shit and Harry has had some really valid points lately about his actions. When I realized you were hanging out with him more...”

"He is my cousin. My family, for better or worse. I can't possibly hope that when the school year is over I will return to your parents' house.” she said passing the blouse impatiently over her head.

"Why not?" Ginny asked, sitting on her trunk.

“I don't want to impose my presence on your family. Specially with Harry distrusting me and you joining him.” Valerie walked to the mirror to fix her hair.

"Harry is not my family." Ginny said throwing herself face down on the bed.

"Yet." Valerie teased.

Ginny tore the pillow out from under her face and tossed it at Valerie, who did not deflect.

"You are going to have to talk to Dean, sooner or later." Valerie put earrings on her ears.

"Hmpppbbbfff." Whatever Ginny said was muffled because she had her face buried in the mattress.

<<<>>>

Valerie didn't know what to expect from the Slug club, but that was far from any wild expectation: Professor Slughorn did not miss an opportunity to suck up to her and make any comments in her direction.

Suddenly she understood what Draco had said to her a few days ago. In the face of what happened to Lucius, the professor was completely ignoring the boy, but knowing the weight that the name Malfoy had on the wizarding community he chose Valerie to be his precious gem.

She was never proud of her surname. Her mother made a point of extolling the influence that her family had, but for Valerie it was all extremely surreal. Her surname was just that, a name that set her apart from other Valeries at school (not that she had ever met Valerie didn't know what to expect from the Slugue club, but that was certainly not the case. Professor Slughorn did not miss an opportunity to even suck up to her and make any comments in his direction.

Suddenly she understood what Draco had said to her a few days ago. In the face of what happened to Lucius, the teacher was completely ignoring the boy, but knowing the weight that the name Malfoy had on the wizarding community he chose Valerie as his treasure.

She was never proud of his surname. Her mother made a point of extolling the influence that her family had, but for Valerie it was all extremely surreal. Her surname was just that, a name that set her apart from other Valeries at school (not that she had ever found one). Her uncle, aunt and cousin visited often but she never really understood what it meant to be a Malfoy until she started Hogwarts.

Newspapers speculating on her private life? People she didn't even know assuming things about her and treating her strangely just because of her last name? She felt guilty because Draco really seemed to want to be part of the Slug Club and she was taking his place when she was not even interested in playing this influence game.

Surrounded by people who treated her just like the healthy fruit of a rotten tree, she decided what she would do next. She was going to confront Draco about her uncle's whereabouts and find out if he had, in fact, been responsible for her mother's death. And depending on his response and/or his reaction, that would drastically change her behaviour towards her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are always welcome! Xx


	10. Alternate route

"Hey!" Ginny shouted trying to reach the trio. They turned and waited for her to approach. "Are you going to Hogsmeade?"

"Yes, do you want to join us?" Harry replied smiling. She just nodded and escorted them out of the oak doors. A strong wind whipped their cheeks and a thin layer of snow was thrown back and forth.

"Isn't Luna coming?" Hermione asked.

"Ah... She’s feeling a little sick and thought that the cold could make her condition worse." Ginny lied, shoving her hands in her coat pockets.

"What about Dean?" Ron tried to sound casual, but it was not the first time he had teased her about the boy.

“I don't keep record of every move he makes. Especially now that we are no longer dating.” she thought it was better to drop the bomb at once.

"I am really sorry." Hermione offered sympathy, but her voice showed what Ginny was afraid to be true. People other than herself had already realized that their relationship had ended even before the official breakup.

The walk to Hogsmeade took almost twice as long with the wind against them, but they arrived alive and whole at the Three Broomsticks. Hermione went to the counter and brought the first round of buttered beers to the table where they sat.

After her it was Harry's turn, then Ron and when Ginny went to the counter to get the fourth round of drinks, she collapsed with a sigh in her chair on the way back.

"Did something happen, Ginny?" Harry asked in a worried tone.

The bar was practically empty. The weather was horrible and most of the students were in other establishments or hadn't even dared to put their faces out of the castle with the falling snow.

"I promised not to tell, but ..." she rubbed her neck, massaging the shoulder muscles and taking a sip of the drink. "Have any of you seen... Two girls kissing?" she asked fearfully.

"Why? Have you dated all the boys at school and now you're going to attack the other half?” Ron asked with a laugh.

"How can you be such a prick?" Ginny caught his eye at the same time that Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. "I swear to you, on Merlin's balls that if you don't behave like a proper human, I won't tell you anything. Ever again. " she threatened and he theatrically raised his hands in surrender.

“Answering your question, I never saw it. I don't think I ever met anyone who was gay.” Harry shrugged.

“Oooh, you have. You have certainly met someone who is gay. ” Hermione wiped the mustache the drink had left after a sip. “You may not know that this person was gay, but it's impossible that you haven't met anyone. Dumbledore, for example. People say that...”

A sound of fake barfing interrupted Hermione. Ron was making it very clear what he thought of the idea of Dumbledore being gay. Ginny glared at him.

“It's not because he can't be gay, but it's just... Well, it's Dumbledore. Man or woman... Can you imagine him with someone? It's kind of...” and he faked a shiver.

"But why are you asking, Ginny?" Harry said after a few seconds of laughter between them.

"Well... it's Luna." she sighed. “We grew up together, even before Hogwarts. Her house is close to The Burrow.” she explained to Hermione and Harry. "I thought I knew her until... I caught her kissing a girl the other day."

The three of them seemed anxious to know who the other girl was and Ginny ended up giving in to the pressure of her eyes.

“Valerie. I caught Luna and Valerie kissing the other day in the dorm.” She looked down at her hands. “Valerie panicked, asked me not to tell anyone. And so... I know I shouldn't be telling, but I don't want to lose Luna's friendship because of that. I would never bash her because she is interested in girls and I don't want her to think that for some reason I am discouraging her from continuing with... Her practices, but... I am afraid that from now on she starts spending all her free time with Valerie.”

“Well, it could end up happening. Right, Ronald?” Hermione nudged the wound.

“Hey! I canceled with Lavender today because we had agreed that we would go out together.” he defended himself.

"After much insistence from us." Harry pointed. “Look, you must speak to her. Be sincere. Tell Luna how you feel and my best guess is that they would love for you to spend more time with them, especially if the intention is that people don't know they are dating. No one will be suspicious if the three of you keep hanging together.”

"I don't want to be a third wheel!" Ginny exclaimed. "Is that why you guys always hang out in a trio?"

She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. But she was always jealous of how close Hermione was to Harry. This has always been a subject of gossip since her first year at Hogwarts, mainly because it was clear that Ron had no interest in her, so...

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"Ginny," Hermione smiled, "the three of us are just friends. We have always been and always will be.”

<<< >>>

"Valerie!" Harry passed through the portrait hole into the common room with a frightening urgency.

"Harry, not like this!" Ginny tried to catch him, but he pulled his arm and marched towards the girl who was sitting on the floor by the fireplace.

"What is happening?" Valerie instinctively held her wand trying to remember any protective spells.

"I need a favour." Harry almost whispered when he got close enough to her. He had a look that bordered on madness.

"A Xanax, perhaps?" she joked.

"A what?" Ginny asked confused.

"Nevermind." Valerie replied remembering that Ginny was raised in the wizarding world. The common room was almost empty, except for Valerie and a few first and second year students who were not allowed to leave for Hogsmeade.

"I know you've been seeing Draco lately." he pulled Valerie by the elbow to the farthest corner of the room.

"Harry..." Ginny tried again in an almost maternal tone.

"Okay, wait a minute." Valerie interrupted Ginny and pulled her elbow out of Harry's hand. “First of all... Are you following me? Creep! I thought you dropped that whole Draco thing. And you too?" she turned to Ginny. "Haven't we already talked about it?"

“I am not following you. I'm following Draco.” Harry confessed. “I'm sorry, but for the past five or six years I've been living with him and I know he's up to something. Today someone tried to enter the castle with a cursed necklace. I need you to try and talk to him, find out if he has anything to do with it.”

"Why don't you speak to a teacher?" she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I did." Harry looked at the floor.

"And?" Valerie alternated her gaze between Harry and Ginny.

"Draco was at the castle serving a detention." Ginny spoke in a closing discussion tone.

“It was an alibi. Leanne said that Katie was acting strange, she might as well be under the Imperio curse.”

“Slow it down. I still don't understand what you want from me.” Valerie was losing patience.

“Before the beginning of the year, after you and Mr. Weasley were attacked in Diagon Alley, when we went to do our school shopping, I saw Draco and Mrs. Malfoy entering a store in Knockturn Alley. It’s a street known for having shops devoted to the Dark Arts. And I overheard him talking to the store owner about a specific product. I couldn't understand what it was, but he placed the order and when they left, Hermione went into the store and saw the necklace. The same necklace as today. Apparently, this isn’t not enough evidence for Professor McGonagall.”

“Katie accidentally touched the necklace and needed to be admitted to a hospital. We don't know when she will be well enough to speak or if she will be able to speak.” Ginny stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"You want me to spy for you." Valerie said accusingly.

"I don't know what to think, Valerie!" Ginny threw her hands up. “On the one hand, Harry tells me all these things that don't make a lot of sense, but ... When I was in my first year, I almost died because of a Lucius Malfoy plot. Such a crazy plot that it bordered on the impossible and no one ever thought to investigate it. And even after we found out he was to blame, the evidence wasn't enough, he was only arrested recently because he was caught literally at the crime scene. And yet he escaped, didn't he?”

“I would not ask for this if I had another alternative. Why did you choose Gryffindor after all? If not to be on our side?” Harry looked slightly indignant.

“I didn't choose Gryffindor. I was selected by the Sorting Hat, like each one of you.” she replied defensively.

“You must have chosen, even if unconsciously. Because the Hat takes your choices into account, I literally chose Gryffindor over Slytherin. Your entire family was from Slytherin, it doesn't make sense that you came to Gryffindor if it wasn't because of us.”

"My mother was Ravenclaw." Valerie scoffed. Finally, she seemed to know something about her family that other people didn't and the feeling was better than she imagined.

"Do you remember that day when you asked me how to transfer money to the Weasley account?" Harry sighed.

Valerie felt her cheeks burn at the mention of the fact. Yes, she had approached Harry once with the intention to transfer money from her account to the Weasleys’. She would still have to find out if it was possible to do it anonymously and how to calculate a sufficient amount of wizardry money to cover the nearly two months of expenses she had generated for the Weasley family.

"Valerie, you don't have to!" Ginny assured her. "We would never accept it."

"Exactly what I said to her." Harry continued. “Your family caused the Weasleys pain and anguish and yet they agreed to welcome you and protect you when it was necessary. This is your chance to pay off your debt, if you really feel it necessary to do so.”

Valerie sighed. She already had it in her head that she was going to confront Draco about her uncle's whereabouts, but she still hadn't found the courage to actually go after him. She didn't have the best of relationships with her mother, but she was still her mother and she felt sorry for her death. At least now she could pretend that her motives for speculating on the life of Draco and the rest of his family were not entirely selfish.

And with that thought in mind, she headed for the dungeons.

<<< >>>

"Astoria!"

Her legs were already tired of standing there in the dungeon corridor, but she couldn't just enter the Slytherin common room without raising questions so she waited for someone she knew to pass by. The girl was a fourth year she had met a few weeks ago in the study area of the library. She had been orbiting Draco for some time, according to him.

"Did you see Draco today?" she asked when the girl stopped next to her.

"He's in the common room." Astoria shrugged.

"Can you get him for me, please?" Valerie said as gently as she could. Before now she shouldn't have exchanged half a dozen words with the girl and it seemed almost wrong to ask her a favour. Even something so innocent.

Astoria sighed, but perhaps given the possibility of having an excuse to speak to Draco, she returned to the common room. Minutes later the boy emerged from the room, standing next to her with the same smug expression he always had. Astoria passed by without speaking to them and continued on her way to wherever she was going in the first place.

"Did your little friends send you to spy on me?" he accused without ceremony.

Valerie took a deep breath. How had her father been doing this every day for years? Just being there, face to face with Draco, she was already feeling afraid of what would happen if her true intentions were discovered.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Draco." she spoke in a calm voice. "I came here for my own reasons."

"Speak up, I don't have all the time in the world." he said, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets and leaning against the wall.

“Professor McGonagall just distributed the forms to those who will be staying at the castle during the Christmas break. I was wondering if you are going to stay or go home.”

“What do you care about what I'm going to do during the recess? I owe you no explanation.” he spoke defensively.

"Draco," Valerie sighed patiently, "I was thinking of spending the break with you and Aunt Cissa. She invited me in the last letter we exchanged. I thought that maybe I could finally get to know the Manor.”

"HAHAHA!" his laugh was completely fake and ironic. "As if! The teachers won't let you leave the castle to even go to Hogsmeade, which is within walking distance of the school and you think you'll get permission to spend the holidays at our house? When everyone suspects that we are hiding my father and that he killed Aunt Cece?”

“As far as I know they have already searched the house and are keeping watch. I can talk to Professor McGonagall and ask for permission. But it will be worth nothing if you're going to spend the recess at the school.”

“Good luck with that, cousin. I have complete disbelief that you will be able to accomplish this feat.” he said, patting her on the back and heading for the door of the common room.

"Draco, wait!" she called and took him by the arm. “Everyone in Gryffindor is weird to me. And I don’t know why. Or maybe I know and don't want to admit it to myself. I just know that Snape is on our toes and that Aunt Cissa would be happy if we spent more time together.” She sighed. “Can you help me with this charms homework that Flitwick gave me?”

He stopped for a moment before pulling his wrist out of her hand.

"Meet me at the library Monday after lunch, before afternoon classes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lil bit of teenage drama, a lil bit of plot, as always.  
> Reviews are welcome! Xx


End file.
